A Potter Black Alliance
by altered stories
Summary: Harry Potter and Alexander Black are god-brothers. Brothers in all but blood. Follow their years through Hogwarts and beyond as they face challenges which will test and push them to the limit including the Boy Who Lived, a scheming headmaster, a dark lord and conniving Slytherin ferret.
1. Chapter 1

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

 **A/N: Hello all I wasn't going to upload this story until after I had finished my other Harry Potter story 'The Forgotten Hero Part II' but I got this chapter finished a few days ago and decided to upload it anyway. Enjoy.**

4th July 1979

Two men were waiting outside one of the wards in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries on a warm July night. One of the men was slowly pacing around in circles while the other was sat down on one of the wooden chairs with his head in his hands occasionally glancing at the other man.

The pacing man was around 21 years of age stood at six feet tall, he had shoulder length black hair and slight black stubble on his chin. He was dressed in a black leather with black jeans and boots.

The man who was sitting down jumped to his feet.

Like the pacing man he was around 21 years of age standing at six feet two, he had short messy brown hair and was dressed in shabby brown wizards robes.

"Sirius, stop pacing, its getting annoying" said the short haired man also known as Remus Lupin nicknamed Moony.

The long haired Sirius turned to look at him with a look of nervousness on his face.

"I can't help it Moony, I just want to know what's going on?" said the long haired Sirius Black nicknamed Padfoot.

"Well sit down then, you know they have silencing charms on the doors so we can't hear anything" said Remus.

"I know, but I need to know, its taking too long" said Sirius in exasperation.

Suddenly the doors to the ward opened getting the attention of Sirius and Remus.

A man aged around 21 years of age standing at six feet tall emerged from the doorway. He had short dark brown hair and glasses, he was dressed in light brown wizard robes.

"Prongs" said Sirius.

"Padfoot, Moony" said James Potter nicknamed Prongs walking over to each of them and giving them a hug.

"It's a..." said Remus.

"A boy, my son and heir, your godson Padfoot" said James.

Sirius and Remus both smiled.

"Come on, come and meet him" said James.

The three turned to walk through the doors into the maternity ward.

After entering through the doors they approached one of the beds at the far end of the room.

A red haired woman around 21 years of age was sitting up in the bed. She was dressed in a white hospital gown with small sky blue dots covering it. In her arms close to her chest was a newborn baby wrapped bundle of white blankets.

"Lils" said Sirius.

"Quiet Sirius he's asleep" said Lily Potter in annoyance.

James went and stood next to his wife putting his right arm around her shoulders causing Lily to lean into him.

Sirius slowly walked towards them.

"Go ahead Sirius, meet Harry James Potter" said Lily handing him her newborn son.

Sirius took him in both hands and held him close to him.

Remus walked over to Sirius.

"He has your eyes Lily" said Remus smiling.

"But James's looks" said Sirius.

"That he does, so Padfoot, what do you say, will you be his godfather?" said James.

Sirius looked at Harry once more then handed him back to Lily.

"Of course I will, its just a shame his godmother can't be here to see him" said Sirius sadly.

"Marlene will get to see him soon Sirius, she'll be back before you know it" said Remus.

Sirius nodded.

"We have a beautiful godson Marls, I hope you can meet him soon" thought Sirius.

 _1 month later..._

Sirius apparated outside a large three story mansion in the Yorkshire countryside with a pop.

"No" shouted Sirius in anguish.

The mansion was in ruin. The front doors had been blown of their hinges. All of the windows had been shattered while parts of the wall had been blown apart.

Sirius pulled out his wand took of running into the house.

Arriving in the hallway he saw the still figure of his fiancé's father Lord Alex Mckinnon lying still on the floor with his eyes wide open and his wand at his side.

"No" said Sirius stepping over him and checking the rooms one by one.

Marlene's mother Mary Mckinnon had bled to death in the drawing room with her Grandfather Marcus Mckinnon who had a large hole in his chest from a lethal cutting curse and her younger daughter Maggie Mckinnon aged 18 who had been hit by a killing curse.

Her two younger brothers Mark aged 12 and Matthew aged 8 were lying still in their beds dressed in their pyjamas having been hit by killing curses.

"Bastards" shouted Sirius dropping to his knees.

"Marls" shouted Sirius standing up and running towards her bedroom.

He ran down the corridor to her room.

The door had been blown to the side.

Upon entering the room he stopped dead in his tracks.

Marlene Rose Mckinnon was lying on her side with several large cuts across her chest and face.

She was aged around 21 years of age with long dirty blonde hair. She was dressed in a red nightgown still clutching her wand.

"No, please don't, no don't take her from me" said Sirius in anguish.

Sirius ran over to her and dropped to his knees. He took her head in his hands and gasped.

She was breathing.

"Marls, baby can you hear me, it's Sirius" said Sirius in panic.

Marlene groaned before opening her eyes.

"Sirius" groaned Marlene.

"Its me Marls, I'm here, come on we need to get you to St Mungos" said Sirius picking her up bridal style.

"What about the others, my family?" groaned Marlene.

Sirius didn't say anything.

"No" whispered Marlene before passing out.

Sirius carried her out of the house and disapparated with a pop.

He reappeared in the waiting room at St Mungos and ran up to the welcome desk.

"Please I need help, my fiancé, she's been hit by several cutting curses, she needs help now" shouted Sirius in panic.

Several Healers made their way over to him and conjured a stretcher for her.

The stretcher floated to the spell damage ward with the Healers and Sirius following in hot pursuit.

Once he reached the doors the Healers stopped him and told him he couldn't come in.

Sirius just nodded and made his way over to the wooden seats outside the door and collapsed onto one of them.

Sirius did not know how much time had passed when James, Lily and Remus ran up to him.

"Padfoot, we came as soon as we heard, is it true, are they all..." said Remus.

Sirius just nodded solemnly.

"No" said James.

"Hows Marlene?" said Lliy in shock.

"I don't know, they haven't come back out yet" said Sirius.

"She'll be okay Padfoot, she's a fighter" said James.

"I hope so, I don't know what I'd do if I lost her" said Sirius.

"Don't think like that Padfoot, just focus, she'll pull through this" said Remus sadly.

Sirius looked at his close friend realising the weight of his words. Remus was still grieving for his girlfriend Dorcas Meadowes who had been killed personally by Voldemort three months prior.

Looking round Sirius realised who was missing.

"Where's Wormtail?" said Sirius.

"Mission for the order, we'll let him know when he returns" said Lily.

Sirius nodded.

The door opened revealing a male Healer aged around 40 years of age with short black hair dressed in white healer robes.

Sirius and Lily strode over to him.

"How is she?" said Lily.

The Healer managed a weak smile.

"She's alive" said the Healer.

They all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Can we see her?" said Remus.

"Yeah, but there might be a bit of a shock" said the Healer.

"What do you mean, a bit of shock?" said Sirius in shock.

The Healer frowned.

"I think you better come and see for yourself" said the Healer turning around towards the doors.

The group followed him with Sirius leading. They followed the Healer to a bed surrounded by curtains in the corner of the room.

The Healer slowly peeled back the curtains before walking over to the other patients.

The group looked on shocked.

Marlene's face and arms were covered in scars from the effects of the cutting spells she had received from the Death Eater attack.

Lily dropped to Marlene's side and grabbed her hand.

"I'll get the bastards who did this" said James.

"Not if I get them first" said Remus.

Sirius walked over and brushed some of the hair out Marlene's face causing her to stir.

"Marlene" said Lily.

"Marls" said Sirius with relief.

Marlene slowly opened her eyes looking directly at Sirius with a half relieved half sad look on her face.

"Sirius" said Marlene sadly.

"I'm here Marls, we're all here" said Sirius.

Marlene looked around the room noticing James and Remus giving them a sad smile which quickly turned into a frown upon noticing that they were the only ones in the room.

"Where's my family?" said Marlene.

Sirius just shook his head, Lily squeezed her hand, James turned away from her, while Remus put his head in his hands.

This caused Marlene to cry.

Sirius dropped next to her and pulled her into him.

"I'm sorry Marls, when I got there" said Sirius sadly.

Marlene just sobbed even more.

"My family, my parents, my grandfather, my sister, my baby brothers, all..." said Marlene.

"We'll get them Marlene, they'll pay for what they did" said James.

"James" hissed Lily.

"That's not what she needs to hear right now James" said Remus sternly.

"My families gone, and I'm scarred for life, look at me now, I'm hideous" said Marlene laughing harshly.

"Your not hideous baby" said Sirius.

"Your a terrible liar Sirius" said Marlene.

"We'll give you guys a moment alone" said Lily standing up.

"You don't have to" said Marlene.

"Its okay, you guys need a moment alone, we'll wait outside" said James.

The three walked out of the ward leaving Sirius and Marlene on their own.

Sirius squeezed her.

"I thought I'd lost you, I thought I'd got there too late" said Sirius.

"I thought I was going to die, just like the others" said Marlene.

"I'm sorry Marls, I couldn't save them" said Sirius sorrowfully.

"Don't, just don't, its not your fault" said Marlene.

"When I'd found you I'd thought you were dead, that I'd lost the person I loved most in the whole world, I don't know what I would've done if you..." said Sirius.

"Sirius, don't talk like that, I'm still here, don't think about it, just hold me" said Marlene sadly.

The two sat together in each others arms for about half an hour until the others came back into the ward with a rather dishevelled and nervous looking Peter Pettigrew in tow.

They stayed for a good hour before visiting hours ended, Sirius slept in a cot next to the bed for the night while the others returned home.

Marlene was discharged the next day and went to stay with Sirius at Black Cottage in Portsmouth.

The funerals were held the next week in the graveyard at the end of the Mckinnon estate. Sirius stayed by her side as she sobbed her heart out during the entire service crying the hardest when her brothers were buried.

 _1 month later..._

"Do you Sirius Orion Black, take this woman Marlene Rose Mckinnon to be your lady wife, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" said the Wizerd Pastor dressed in black wizard robes.

"I do" said Sirius dressed in his Black family robes with his long hair slicked back behind his ears.

The pastor turned to Marlene who still had the faint white scars on her body from the Daeth Eater attack. She was dressed in a creamy white strapless dress embroidered with various jewels. She had her hair tied back into an elegant knot.

"And do you Marlene Rose Mckinnon take this man Sirius Orion Black to be your lord husband, for richer or poorer, is sickness and in health, until death do you part?" said the Pastor.

"I do" said Marlene.

The pastor smiled at the two.

"Well by the power vested in me by magic herself, I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss your bride" said the Pastor.

Sirius and Marlene embraced each other kissing furiously to the jeers and tears of James, Remus, Lily, Peter, Andromeda, Ted, their 6 year old daughter Nymphadora and Mary Mcdonald who was holding Harry Potter as well as other members of the Order Of The Phoenix.

The two had decided to rush forward their wedding a few days after the funeral. They had been engaged for just under a year and had no desire to wait any longer for their wedding.

It also provided a healthy distraction from the true horrors of the war which seemed to be popping up more and more frequently. Only two weeks ago the Prewitt twins Gideon and Fabian had been killed by a group of five death eaters including one of Voldemort's most powerful followers Antonin Dolohov.

The two decided to spend their week long honeymoon in solitude at their cottage in Portsmouth having no desire to travel while the wizarding world was at war.

 _2 months later..._

Marlene gasped with joy at the blue colour of the potion vial in her right hand.

She was sat at the table in their kitchen.

"Sirius, come here, quickly" shouted Marlene.

Sirius came running into the room.

"What is it Marls?" said Sirius rapidly.

Marlene placed the vial on the table.

Sirius looked at it and slowly started to smile.

"Your..." said Sirius.

"Yes, I'm pregnant you old dog, we're going to have a baby" said Marlene with slight tears forming in her eyes.

Sirius strode over to her and pulled her to her feet wrapping her in a hug and kissing her which she returned.

31st July 1980

"Come on Mrs Black keep pushing, your nearly there" said the female Healer.

Marlene was lying on her back in the hospital bed screaming in pain while Sirius was stood next to her clasping her hand.

She screwed up her face in pain and concentration and pushed once more squeezing Sirius's hand hard causing him to wince.

The soft cries of a baby broke caused everything to fall silent.

The healer pulled a small baby boy from between her legs and used her wand to sever the umbilical cord.

"Congratulations, a healthy baby boy" said the Healer holding him out towards Marlene.

"You did it, our son is here Marls" said Sirius happily.

Marlene slowly took her son from the healer.

"Alexander, Alexander Marcus Black" said Marlene softly.

"Alexander" said Sirius holding his arms towards Marlene.

She handed Alexander to him.

A few moments later James, Lily who was holding Harry, Remus, Peter and Mary entered the room and made their way over to them.

"Congratulations" said Remus.

"Another little marauder, well done Padfoot" said James.

"Thanks Prongs, by the way we've both agreed on this, but will you and Lily be Alexander's godparents?" said Sirius.

"Like you have to ask, of course we will" said Lily.

"Alexander Marcus Black, my son and heir" said Sirius.

The group stayed and chatted for hours while various members left one by one until only Sirius and Marlene were left with their son.

However certain events we're planning to test their happiness. Events in the shape of Albus Dumbledore.

He had shown up unexpectedly four months after Alex was born. He was an old wizard with long white hair and a long white beard. He was wearing spectacles on his crooked nose dressed in sky blue wizard robes.

Dumbledore sat down on one of the white leather chairs in their sitting room.

Sirius and Marlene were sat on the leather settee opposite him. This situation was leaving Sirius slightly uncomfortable which he did not like one bit. Alexander was asleep in his crib upstairs.

"Ah Sirius, Marlene, how are you both?" said Dumbldore in his usual grandfather like voice.

Sirius and Marlene crossed eyes with each other suspiciously.

"We're fine Professor" said Marlene.

"Please call me Albus, I am not your headmaster any more" said Dumbledore.

"What do you want Albus?" said Sirius curtly. He had never really been able to trust the old headmaster. Too much power for one man who was starting to go slightly mad.

"I suppose we better get straight to the point, our business concerns Alexander and the Longbottom heir Neville" said Dumbledore.

Marlene stared intently at Dumbledore. Frank and Alice Longbottom's son Neville had been born only an hour after Alexander.

"What does our son have to do with whatever it is you're talking about Albus?" said Sirius sharply.

"Sirius my boy, 2 months ago I interviewed an applicant for the vacant Divination post at Hogwarts, a descendent of the famous seer Cassandra Trelawney actually" said Dumbldore.

"So" said Marlene.

"I was about to turn her down, given that she didn't have an ounce of the ability in her body, but then something remarkable happened" said Dumbledore.

"Go on" said Sirius curtly.

"She made a real prophecy, one predicting the downfall of Voldemort, saying that he would meet his end by the hands of someone born as the 7th month dies, as in the end of last July" said Dumbledore.

Marlene gasped.

"You see where I am going with this, the prophecy refers to either Alexander or Neville, they are the children destined to defeat Voldemort" said Dumbledore.

"You off your rocker Dumbledore, how can two babies defeat You-Know-Who?" said Marlene.

"I don't know, but my spy within the Death Eaters informs me that Voldemort is now hunting you and the Longbottom's, he intends to hunt you down and kill Alexander along with the Longbottom's, you need to go into hiding to keep him safe" said Dumbledore.

"So he actually believes this prophecy then, he wants to kill our son" said Sirius.

"Yes, you have to go into hiding, the Longbottom's have already agreed to go under the Fidelius charm, I put them under the charm 2 days ago, I can come back tomorrow and put you under the charm, you'll have to choose someone to be your secret keeper, I'd be more than willing to be your secret keeper" said Dumbledore twiddling his thumbs.

Sirius and Marlene looked at each other for a moment before nodding.

"All right, come back in the morning, but we'll choose our own secret keeper" said Marlene.

Dumbledore frowned for a few seconds before nodding.

"Very well then, I'll be back in the morning, I'll see myself out" said Dumbledore rising from his chair and heading to the door.

Once he had left Marlene turned to Sirius.

"When did it all get so bad, so many people dead, Dorcas, Benjy, Gid, Fab, the Bones, Carodoc, James parents, my family, how many more will we lose before this is over" said Marlene.

"I don't know" said Sirius sadly.

"And now our 4 month old son is now being hunted by a psychotic madman" said Marlene sounding scared.

"We'll protect him Marls, You-Know-Who won't get near him" said Sirius.

"Sirius" said Marlene.

"I'm serious Marls, I won't let him hurt our son, or you, I promise" said Sirius.

"I know, but we can't lose him, I wouldn't be able to go on if we lost him" said Marlene.

"Don't say that Marls, don't think like that" said Sirius.

Marlene looked down.

"Marls look at me" said Sirius grabbing her face in his hands.

Marlene looked up at him with slight tears in her eyes.

"We won't lose him, we'll get through this, I'll get James to be secret keeper, I trust him more than Dumbledore" said Sirius.

Marlene nodded.

"Come on lets go and get our son" said Marlene.

31st October 1981

It had happened. What they had hoped would happen for years had finally happened. Voldemort had been defeated. Seemingly by a one year old Neville Longbottom. However this had come at a cost.

The Longbottom's had been sold out to Voldemort by their secret keeper Peter Pettigrew who had revealed that they were hiding in a small cottage in Bristol. Frank and Alice Longbottom had been attending an order meeting leaving Augusta Longbottom at home with Neville.

After bursting into the cottage Voldemort had duelled Augusta before killing her when she refused to step aside and allow him to kill Neville. After killing her Voldemort turned his wand on Neville but had been defeated somehow when his killing curse rebounded off of Neville and hit him causing his body to vanish leaving only his robes and wand.

The wizarding world had pronounced Neville as the Boy Who Lived claiming he had untold special powers which allowed him to beat Voldemort but didn't mention Augusta's sacrifice which protected Neville.

Remus had vanished from the wizarding world all together and had cut off any contact with Sirius or any of the others. Sirius suspected he might have headed into the muggle world and left all the chaos and death behind.

However more bad news was just around the corner.

James, Lily and Harry had been living at Potter Cottage in Godrics Hollow ever since Potter Manor was destroyed in the Death Eater attack which killed James parents Charlus and Dorea Potter as well as his uncle Fleamont Potter in June 1980.

James and Lily had chosen not to go under the Fidelius given that no one bar a few people knew about their cottage in Godrics Hollow. This proved to be a mistake.

Four days after Voldemorts defeat a group of rogue death eaters had managed to locate the Potters and attacked them in Godrics Hollow.

Sirius had apparated to the cottage where he was joined by Alastor 'Mad Eye' Moody and a team of aurors.

They rushed into the house where Moody and the aurors managed to stun and capture three masked death eaters standing over the lifeless body of James Potter. In a panic Sirius rushed off upstairs to find Lily.

"Avada Kedavra" screamed a high pitched female voice that made Sirius's blood run cold.

"Bella" thought Sirius in panic and anger.

Sirius sped up towards Harry's bedroom where the voice had come from hearing her trademark scream/laugh.

Bursting into the doorway he saw the pale skinned Bellatrix Lestrange with her trademark curly black hair down to her back dressed in her black Death Eater dress.

Lily was lying dead on the floor at her feet while a crying Harry was looking at Bellatrix from his crib. Bellatrix still had her back to him and was raising her wand towards Harry.

In a rage Sirius sent a powerful silent stunner at Bellatrix. She turned around but was unable to block it in time resulting in the stunner slamming into her chest sending her flying into the wall knocking her out cold.

"Incarcerous" said Sirius pointing his wand at Bellatrix conjuring ropes to bind her to the floor.

Sirius looked at her with anger wishing he had killed her instead.

"Harry" said Sirius turning towards his crib.

Sirius strode over and picked Harry up out of the crib and held him close to his chest.

"Its all right Harry, you're safe now, its okay" said Sirius quietly.

He took one last look at Lily before walking out of the room carrying Harry. As he turned down the hallway auror's Stamford Savage and Rufus Scrimgeour reached the top of the stairs.

"Sirius" said Savage.

"Bella's in there" said Sirius nodding his head in the direction of Harry's bedroom.

"Lestrange" said Scrimgeour in shock.

Sirius nodded and headed downstairs where he saw the three unmasked Death Eaters.

The long black haired hard faced 29 year old Rodolphus Lestange. The short black haired thinner faced 27 year old Rabastan Lestrange and to his surprise the short blonde haired 19 year old Barty Crouch Jr, they were all on their knees and bound.

Sirius glared at them before heading to the door where Rodolphus called out to him.

"The Dark Lord will return one day Black, and when he does he'll reward us for our devotion and service" shouted Rodolphus in his brutish voice.

Sirius paused and snarled before leaving the house. He walked to the end of the footpath before apparating back to Black Cottage.

Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Rabastan and Crouch Jr were sentenced to life in Azkaban a week later by Barty Crouch Sr.

Frank and Alice Longbottom had taken their son's new status to the extreme aided by Dumbledore and the Light faction. They had all become absorbed in the publicity and become vain and arrogant as being parents of a hero.

This caused Sirius to re-evaluate his supposed friendship with Dumbledore and the Longbottom's. He wasn't the only one as Amelia Bones who had lost nearly all of her family save her year old niece to the war who like Sirius had become disgusted with the Longbottom's and Dumbledore's actions.

The Bones had always been a neutral family along with the Greengrass, Davis and Mckinnon families. The Potters had originally been a neutral family but James had switched to the Light faction after taking up his Lordship over a year ago.

As such Sirius with his recently inherited Black lordship changed allegiance to the neutral faction further distancing himself from the light faction. This did not sit too well with Dumbledore and Frank Longbottom who didn't take his switch very well, Dumbledore especially as he had lost the influence of two important ploitical families.

The Back family moved into the ancestral Black house 12 Grimmauld Place shortly after Sirius took up his lordship after a month of cleaning the whole house out top to bottom.

Harry and Alex grew up as close as brothers, closer than Sirius was with his younger brother Regulus. When Harry and Alex were 3 and 2 years old respectively Marlene gave birth to a daughter Dorcas Lillian Black named in memory of her two best friends.

The Black children spent a lot of time with the Greengrass, Davis and Bones children over the years since the families were allies. After noticing how close Alex and Susan Bones hhad become Sirius and Amelia Bones signed an official betrothal agreement for the two of them when they were 8 years old. Sirius did not sign any betrothal agreement for his godson as he could not legally do it as he was not head of house Potter, also he did not want to take his godsons right to a choice from him.


	2. Chapter 2

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

4th August 1990

Harry was very excited for today. He was going to buy his school supplies from Diagon Alley having received his acceptance letter three days previously. He would have gone the day after he got his letter but this was Sirius's first day off work at the Auror's ever since Harry received his letter so the Black family took advantage of the situation to spend a day in Diagon Alley.

Harry was also excited for another reason. Today was the day he formally take up his heirship for the Potter family by receiving the Potter heir ring.

So at 10am Sirius, Marlene, Harry, Alex and Dorcas floo'd to the Leaky Cauldron and headed into Diagon Alley.

"Well Harry, have you got your list?" said Marlene dressed in a black skirt and white blouse.

"Got it right here" said Harry dressed in a black shirt and jeans pulling a folded up piece of parchment out of his jeans pocket.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Uniform

 _1\. Three sets of plain work robes (black)_

 _2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_

 _3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

 _4\. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)_

 _Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags_

Set Books

 _All students should should have a copy of each of the following:_

A History of Magic _by Bathilda Bagshot_

Magical Theory _by Adalbert Waffling_

Abeginners guide to Transfiguration _by Emeric Switch_

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi _by Phyllida Spore_

Magical Drafts and Potions _by Arsenius Jigger_

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them _by Newt Scamander_

The Drak Forces: Aguide to Self-Protection _by Quentin Trimble_

Other Equipment

 _1 wand_

 _1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_

 _1 set glass or crystal phials_

 _1 telescope_

 _1 set brass scales_

 _Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad_

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

 **(A/N: extract taken from Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, page 52, 53)**

"Looking at your letter reminds me of my acceptance letter pup" said Sirius dressed in a black leather jacket and jeans.

"Feeling old are you Father" said Alex dressed in a blue shirt and jeans.

"Hey, I'm only 32" said Sirius jokingly.

"Well we'll head to Gringotts first, get your money and your inheritance test sorted out" said Marlene.

"Why does he need an inheritance test, we already know he is the Potter heir" said Dorcas who had taken after her mother in looks with dirty blonde hair and was dressed in a white blouse and jeans.

"The goblins won't let him take up the heirship until he takes one and proves he is the heir to them, and it will find out if he is an heir to other houses as well" said Marlene.

"Oh" said Dorcas in understanding.

The five walked through the Alley and headed to Gringotts.

After walking in they approached the goblin teller sat at the desk at the back of the bank.

"Lord Sirius Black escorting his godson Heir Harry Potter here to see his account manager" said Sirius.

The goblin did not look up from his work.

"Griphook, escort Heir Potter to his account manager Nordog" said the Teller as another smaller goblin dressed in a shirt, waistcoat and trousers walked over from one of the nearby desks.

"Follow me Heir Potter, Lord Black" said Griphook walking towards a door to their left.

Harry, Sirius, Marlene, Alex and Dorcas followed him through the door.

After walking down a corridor for a few minutes they arrived at a large old oak door near the end of the corridor. The door had the lettering 'Account Manager Nordog' written in hold letters on the front of it.

Griphook knocked once on the door.

"Enter" said a raspy voice.

Griphook opened the door and walked inside.

The five followed him inside.

The office contained a solitary oak desk cluttered with various devices and papers. There were two oak chairs in front of the desk. Sat in the chair behind the desk was an old goblin long white haired dressed in a black suit and spectacles.

The goblin looked up from his desk.

"Lord Black, Lady Black, Heir Potter, Heir Black, Heiress Black, I am Nordog account manager for the Potter family, how can I help you today?" said Nordog in his raspy voice.

"Heir Potter is here to take an inheritance test and to formally take up his position as Heir Potter" said Sirius.

"Very well, Heir Potter if you would come up here please" said Nordog.

Harry walked up to the desk where Nordog pulled a piece of parchment and a knife out of one of the drawers.

"The inheritance test will require 4 drops of your blood onto this parchment" said Nordog handing Harry the knife.

Harry took the knife and sliced the palm of his left hand wincing slightly. He angled his hand above the parchment allowing four drops of blood to fall onto the parchment. Once this was done Sirius healed the cut on his hand as the blood on the parchment began to merge into lettering.

Harry Potter

Full name:

Harry James Potter

Date Of Birth:

4th July 1979 (Age 11)

Parents:

James Charlus Potter (deceased November 1981)

Lily Kathryn Potter _nee_ Evans (deceased November 1981)

Current Guardians:

Sirius Orion Black

Marlene Rose Black _nee_ Mckinnon

Heir To:

The Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter

The Ancient and Noble House of Peverell

Potter Family vault '320'

25 million galleons, heirlooms, books

Trust Vault '687'

5000 galleons (to be refilled at the start of every school year)

James Potter personal vault '563'

6 million galleons

The Last Will and Testament of James Potter and Lily Potter (sealed by the Wizergamot)

Lily Potter personal vault '649'

1 million galleons

Peverell Family vault '200'

8 million galleons, heirlooms

Harry looked up from the parchment.

"I'm Heir to the Peverell family" said Harry sounding surprised.

"Funny, James never mentioned that, but I believe your ancestor Henry Potter married Ignotus Peverells granddaughter Isadora hundreds of years ago which would probably explain it" said Sirius sounding shocked.

"Would you like the rings Heir Potter, Peverell?" said Nordog.

"Yes please Nordog, and call me Harry" said Harry.

Sirius and Marlene gasped at Harry's words but Nordog smiled.

"Of course Harry, for the Potter's have been allies to the Goblin nation for hundreds of years, Griphook fetch the rings" said Nordog.

Griphook nodded and left the room.

He returned a few minutes later with a small wooden box in his hands. Griphook placed the box on the desk. Nordog opened the box to reveal six rings in the box.

"The lord and lady rings as well as the heir rings" said Nordog.

Harry picked up the heir Potter ring and held it close to his face. The ring was gold with a phoenix surrounded by flames bearing the words 'Death Is The Last Enemy That Shall be Conquered' underneath the insignia. He placed the ring on his right ring finger. His body glowed gold once the ring was on his finger.

"Wow" said Dorcas in amazement.

"The ring has accepted you Harry" said Sirius.

Harry the picked up the heir Peverell ring and once again held it close to his face. The ring was black with to Harry's surprise the Deathly Hallow's insignia on the front with the word 'Unitas' meaning Unity underneath it. Once again he placed the ring on his right ring finger where it merged caused his body to glow gold again.

"Is there any other business we can help you with today Harry?" said Nordog.

"I would like to access my trust vault please" said Harry.

"Very well Griphook will escort you and Lord Black to your vault" said Nordog.

"Thank you Nordog" said Harry bowing lightly to him.

Nordog bowed his head to Harry as Harry and the others left the office heading back to the atrium. Marlene, Alex and Dorcas headed back to the Alley telling them to meet them at Fortescues Ice Cream Parlour when they were done.

Griphook took Harry and Sirius down to Harry's trust vault on one of the Gringotts carts.

Harry removed 800 galleons which would cover his supplies and for the entire school year before the two left Gringotts.

They met up with the others in Fortescues and headed off to Madam Malkins and then Flourish and Blotts. After this they visited Olivander's to get Harry's wand.

"Ah Lord and Lady Black, how nice to see you again" said the tall short white haired Garrick Olivander in his mystical voice, he was dressed in dark grey wizard robes.

"A pleasure Mr Olivander, but we're here to get Harry his wand" said Marlene.

Olivander turned towards Harry.

"Ah Mr Potter, I was wondering when I would see you, my deepest sympathies on the death of your parents, they were good people" said Olivander saying the last part with sadness.

Harry nodded.

"Thank you Mr Olivander" said Harry.

"Well then, shall we get started, come up here Mr Potter, if you please" said Olivander.

Harry walked up to Olivander.

"Which is your wand arm Mr Potter" said Olivander.

"I'm ambidextrous" said Harry.

Olivander looked shocked.

"Remarkable, very few wizards are ambidextrous Mr Potter, hold out your arms please" said Olivander sounding impressed.

Harry held out his arms where Olivander measured them using a magical tape measure. He measured the left arm then the right arm muttering to himself Olivander looked at Harry's right hand and gasped.

"What is it Mr Olivander?" said Sirius.

Olivander looked Harry in the eyes.

"One moment Mr Potter" said Olivander who then disappeared into the back.

"What's up with him?" said Dorcas.

"Something about our dear brother definitely shocked him" said Alex.

"Olivander's always been a bit weird, but he's a great wand maker" said Sirius.

Olivander returned a few minutes later with a battered black wand box. He set it down on the desk and opened it. He pulled a brown/black wand out of the case and handed it to Harry.

"Try this Mr Potter" said Olivander in a curious voice.

Harry took the wand in his right hand and felt a warm glow travel through his body.

"Yes, just as I thought" said Olivander.

"Excuse me" said Marlene.

"10 inches, Elder and Dragon Blood, particularly effective for battle magic and duelling, this wand once belonged to Isadora Peverell, your ancestor Mr Potter" said Olivander.

"How did you know?" said Harry.

"The ring, I would recognise it anywhere, my ancestor Elladora Olivander was a good friend of Isadora, when she died she trusted Elladora with her wand saying that one day another Peverell will use the wand for great things, that Peverell is you Mr Potter" said Olivander.

Harry nodded.

"Thank you Mr Olivander, how much will it be for the wand" said Harry.

"7 galleons please Mr Potter" said Olivander.

Harry removed 7 galleons from his money pouch and left the shop with the others.

After having lunch at the Leaky Cauldron they finished buying Harry's school supplies including a snowy white owl which he named Hedwig they headed home.

Alex, Dorcas and Harry spent as much time as possible with each other knowing that Harry would be leaving for Hogwarts in a few weeks and wouldn't see each other again until Christmas.

1st September 1990

Harry was walking towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten heading for the entrance to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. He was dressed in a dark blue jumper and jeans pushing the trolley containing his trunk and Hedwig towards the barrier.

As he neared the barrier Sirius placed his arm on his shoulder.

Harry turned to look up at Sirius.

"You ready for this pup?" said Sirius.

"I'm ready" said Harry.

"Come on then" said Sirius as the two took off running towards the barrier passing through it.

The two emerged onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters to the awe of Harry. The platform was littered with students and their families with trolleys packed with trunks and cages containing owls and cats. The bright red steam engine known as the Hogwarts Express was sat waiting to set off.

Marlene, Alex and Dorcas emerged from the barrier and made their way over to them.

"Come on Harry, lets find you a compartment" said Marlene.

Harry wheeled his trolley towards the carriage door with the others following him. Sirius helped him lift his trunk into the carriage while Marlene handed him the cage containing Hedwig. Harry pulled his trunk and Hedwig into an empty compartment. After placing his trunk into the overhead rack and Hedwig's cage onto the seat.

He walked to the window and opened the top of it where Sirius, Marlene, Alex and Dorcas walked up to his compartment.

Harry was talking with the others when a voice at the door caught his attention.

"Excuse me, can I join you, everywhere else is full"

In the doorway stood a short girl about 11 years of age with long brown hair. She was dressed in a red jumper and black skirt carrying a trunk and a carrier containing a small grey cat.

"Of course, here let me help you with that" said Harry walking over to her and taking her trunk.

He placed her trunk next to his in the overhead rack while she set her cat down on the seat.

"Thank you, I'm Katie Bell" said the girl smiling at him.

"Harry Potter" replied Harry returning her smile.

"Your first year too?" said Katie.

"Yeah" said Katie walking over to the window.

The two stood in the compartment window where a short brown haired man dressed in a muggle suit who Harry assumed must be Katie's father walked over to the window and started talking to her.

The train set off about ten minutes later with Harry and Katie waving to their respective families before sitting down.

The two talked about their lives before Hogwarts. Katie was a half blood and had grown up with her single father in muggle London with her mum having died when she was just 5 years old.

The two arrived at Hogwarts just after 6 o'clock. After departing the train the long haired half giant gamekeeper Hagrid escorted them to the boats. They ended up in a boat with a tall blonde haired boy named Joe Harper and a black haired Chinese girl named Cho Chang.

While in the boats on the Black Lake they got their first sight of Hogwarts.

The castle sat upon the top of a large cliff looked magnificent with its many towers and rooms surrounded by a high wall around the entire castle.

 **(A/N: extract taken from my other story The Forgotten Hero Part I – Chapter 3)**

After arriving at the castle they made their way inside where they were greeted by a woman aged around 60 years old with piercing cat like eyes dressed in long green robes and a black hat who was holding a roll of parchment in her hands who Harry realised must be Professor Mcgonagall.

Hagrid informed Mcgonagall that they were the first years before leaving them for the Great Hall.

"Now then in a few moments you will pass through these doors and be sorted into your houses before joining the rest of your classmates. There are four houses at Hogwarts, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. While your here, your house will be like your family, your triumphs will earn your house points, while rule breaking will lose points for your house. At the end of the year the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, an honour to any house that receives it. Now wait here a moment while go and make sure everything is ready for you" said Professor Mcgonagall as she entered through one of the doors and closed it.

 **(A/N: extract taken from my other story The Forgotten Hero Part I – Chapter 3)**

Harry was stood next to Katie talking about their preferred house Gryffindor when Mcgonagall returned and told them to follow her into the hall.

There were four really long tables full of students from each house. At the top of the hall there was a long table occupied by the teachers. There were hundreds of candles above them illuminating the hall and the ceiling was enchanted to look like the starry night time sky.

In front of the teachers table in the centre of the two middle tables stood an old stool with an old patched hat on top of it.

 **(A/N: extract taken from my other story The Forgotten Hero Part I – Chapter 3)**

Professor Mcgonagall began reading names off of the parchment for students to be sorted.

"Baddock, Martin" said Mcgonagall.

A weedy boy with short black hair walked up and sat down on the stool. Mcgonagall placed the Sorting Hat on his head. A minute later the front of the Hat a mouth opened.

"SLYTHERIN" shouted the Hat.

The Slytherin table clapped and cheered.

Mcgonagall took the hat off of Martin Baddock who went to sit down at the Slytherin table.

"Bell, Katie" said Mcgonagall.

Katie walked up to the stool nervously before sitting down where Mcgonagall placed the Hat on her head.

A few minutes later the Hat had its answer.

"GRYFFINDOR" shouted the Hat causing Katie to smile.

Harry applauded for a few seconds.

The Gryffindor table erupted in cheers and applause as Katie went to sit at the table.

The girl Cho Chang who shared the boat with them was sorted into Ravenclaw along with a reddish-blonde haired girl called Marietta Edgecombe.

Joe Harper the boy who was in the boat with Harry and Katie caught the attention of Harry. A minute after the Sorting Hat was placed on his head it must have said something to him inside his head as he had a half shocked, half scared look on his face. A minute later the hat gave an answer.

"GRYFFINDOR" shouted the Sorting Hat.

Once again the Gryffindor table erupted into cheers as Joe went and joined them.

Most of the students had been sorted by the time Mcgonagall reached Harry's name.

Once Mcgonagall placed the Hat on his head he felt a calming presence breaching his mind.

"Well welll Mr Potter, you are an unusual one, you have the best traits of each house, bravery of a Gryffindor, loyalty of a Hufflepuff, brains like a Ravenclaw, and the ambition of a Slytherin, all of these qualities make it difficult for me to sort you, though I think that you have already made your choice" said the Hat in his head.

"I have" said Harry in his head.

"Yes, you wish to follow in the footsteps of your parents, very well Mr Potter" said the Hat in his head.

"GRYFFINDOR" shouted the Hat.

Once again the Gryffindor table erupted in cheers and applause with Katie cheering the loudest. Harry stepped down from the stool as Mcgonagall flashed him a smile before removing the Sorting Hat from his head allowing him to join the Gryffindor table.

He sat down next to Katie with Joe sat directly across from him. Joe extended his hand over to Harry.

"Joe Harper" said Joe.

Harry smiled and shook his hand.

"Harry Potter" replied Harry.

"Katie Bell" said Katie.

"Nice to meet you Harry, Katie" said Joe.

A few minutes later the sorting ended allowing Dumbledore to stand up in his red and gold robes and hat.

"Welcome, welcome to another year at Hogwarts, I have a few things I need to tell you but first, let us feast" said Dumbledore.

Plates of all sorts of food appeared on the table in front of them. Potatoes roast, mashed and boiled, chips, pies, Yorkshire puddings, all kinds of meat including steaks, sausages and chicken legs, trays of every imaginable vegetable, boats of gravy and mint sauce. Flagons of pumpkin juice and water also decorated the table.

 **(A/N: extract taken from my other story The Forgotten Hero Part I – Chapter 3)**

Harry made himself a plate of sausages and mash topped with gravy along with a cup of pumpkin juice. Katie piled a small Sunday dinner onto her plate with a cup of pumpkin juice. Joe piled a steak pie with chips and vegetables onto his plate. When Joe was piling food onto his plate Harry caught a glimpse of an old black ring with the words 'Greater Good' written on the insignia.

"Interesting ring Joe" said Harry.

Joe looked up at him and then at his ring before nodding.

"Yeah, old family heirloom, my great grandfathers actually" said Joe.

"Ah right" said Harry.

The three continued talking until after the end of the feast. After the feast Dumbledore gave them a warning about the Forbidden Forest and the list of banned items outside Filches office.

Once this was over a prefect escorted them to Gryffindor Tower where the entrance was hidden behind a portrait of a fat lady in a white dress which could only be opened by password.

After settling in Harry and Katie got to know Joe a lot more while sharing facts of their lives with him.

Joe was a half blood from a wealthy family living just outside the magical west country village Godric's Hollow. Katie had asked him how his family suddenly became so wealthy but he only told them that it was a family secret so they didn't press the matter further.

As the year went on the three friends became inseparable. Harry quickly became the leader of the three, helping the others whenever they needed, Joe was fiercely protective of others always stepping in to defend people if needed, Katie was gentle and kind to others but as fierce as a dragon when provoked.

Lessons were relatively easy for the three with them progressing well to be among the top students by the end of the year, except for History of Magic which they only managed to get through by getting self writing quills to take their notes for them while they fell asleep due to Binns voice.

Only one teacher ever had a problem with them particularly Harry and that was their Potions teacher Professor Snape. The two hated each other from the moment they first laid eyes on each other and safe to say it got progressively worse as the year went on with Snape using every chance he got to antagonize Harry.

The rest of the teachers treated them with fairness and in Mcgonagall's case strictness as well though Harry knew she was very fond of him. The only real case of bad luck was to their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Professor Selwyn a retired auror who managed to sever his wand arm in front of the 4th years a few weeks before the summer. He survived in the end but chose to return to his retirement and live a quiet peaceful life.

The one person Harry distrusted more than anyone was Dumbledore. He hated being in close proximity to the man as he felt his eyes watching him whenever the two were close to each other. Other than that Dumbledore never directly approached Harry or asked to meet him in private.

So at the end of the year after finishing as the top student Harry returned home for the summer. After bidding farewell to Joe and Katie as well as inviting them to spend some time at 12 Grimmauld Place over the summer.

4th July 1991

Harry's 12th birthday. He had been eagerly anticipating this day for weeks. They had planned a party at Grimmauld Place to celebrate with all of his friends attending. As such Harry found himself in the large drawing room accompanied by Joe, Katie, Alex and his betrothed Susan Bones, Dorcas, Daphne Greengrass, Astoria Greengrass, Tracey Davis and Blaise Zabini.

Harry was sat on one settee with Joe and Katie. Alex, the red haired Susan Bones and Dorcas were sat on another settee. The long blonde haired Daphne, the short brown haired Tracey, the long brown haired Astoria and the tall black short brown haired Blaise were sat on cushioned chairs provided by Kreacher. They all had bottles of butterbeer and sandwiches in their hands.

"So Harry, is dear Snivellus as bad as Father makes him out to be?" said Alex in amusement.

Harry, Joe and Katie laughed.

"Very much so brother" said Harry.

"Aye, greasy git and a poor teacher to boot" said Joe.

"He loves his snakes though" said Katie.

"Why am I not surprised?" said Daphne.

"Cos he's the only reason Slytherin win the house cup every year that's why" said Joe.

"True" said Harry.

"What are the other teachers like?" said Tracey.

"Mcgonagall's strict but fair, same with Sprout, Flitwick is always there to help, Binns is about as fun as watching grass grow, Sinastra's good fun to be around though" said Harry.

"My Aunt always told me Mcgonagall is only strict since she wants students to push themselves" said Susan.

"True" said Joe.

"Can't believe Dumbledore still won't get rid of Binns though, he's been dead for years" said Blaise.

"Yeah well Dumbledore's off his rocker mate, I'm sure he uses Legilimency on students as well, I swear he tried to do it to me more than once" said Harry.

"A lot of parents won't like that" said Daphne.

"They won't but you know Dumbledore, he'll just play that usual grandfather thing and get away with it, Father says he does it all the time at the Wizergamot" said Astoria.

"That doesn't surprise me, all that influence he has as well, from what I heard he practically controls the Light faction on the Wizergamot, ironic how he hates those that manipulate and control others yet he is a master at it" said Joe in slight anger.

"That he does, but all of the Light faction are staunch Dumbledore supporters, the Weasleys most of all" said Alex.

"Aye, three of their kids are at Hogwarts, one is about as stuck up and ambitious enough to be a Slytherin instead of a Gryffindor, but the twins are okay, their pranks are good" said Katie.

"Ambitious, Percy Weasley, more like power hungry" said Joe.

"Bah enough talk of Weasley's lets change the subject, you all looking forward to Hogwarts then?" said Katie.

"Yeah, can't wait" said Tracey.

"Definitely" said Blaise.

"Can't come soon enough" said Susan.

"Lucky you, I can't go for another year yet" said Astoria.

"I can't go for another two years" said Dorcas sadly.

"Don't worry sister, before you know it you'll be attending Hogwarts, time will fly" said Alex.

"I hope it does, its going to feel weird now, me Mum and Dad here alone while you and Harry are at Hogwarts" said Dorcas.

"Same here, it'll just be me and my parents when Daphne goes" said Astoria.

The group kept talking for hours until Sirius and the rest of the adults including the Tonks's walked in with Harry's presents. He received an improved copy of the Marauders map from Sirius, a Nimbus 2000 broomstick from Marlene, two defence textbooks from Alex and Dorcas, a wizards wallet from Joe, a quidditch through the ages book from Katie, and a large assortment of sweets from the others.

After Harry put his presents away the guests began to leave one by one until only Joe and Katie remained who were all staying at Grimmauld Place that night with both of them planning to stay for a few days.

 **A/N: I know I rushed through Harry's first year in this chapter but I needed to, nothing noteworthy happens in his first year apart from meeting his new friends, next chapter will be up soon as will the next chapter for The Forgotten Hero Part II**


	3. Chapter 3

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

6th August 1991

Alex was stood down at the fireplace with his mother and Dorcas waiting for Harry and Sirius to join them for their trip to Diagon Alley. He was dressed in a green jumper and jeans.

He was going to get his school supplies having received his letter two days before his 11th birthday. He was so excited especially after hearing Harry telling him and Dorcas all about his first year at Hogwarts.

"Where are those two, we're supposed to be meeting Susan and her Aunt in 10 minutes" said Alex.

"You've got plenty of time to meet the love of your life Alex, calm down" teased Dorcas dressed in a dark blue jumper and black skirt.

Alex went red.

"Stop teasing your brother Dor" said Marlene smirking slightly dressed in dark red witch robes.

Dorcas snickered.

"And Alex, they will be down soon" said Marlene.

Right on cue Harry and Sirius appeared at the top of the stairs.

"See" said Marlene.

"About time, come on we're going to be late" said Alex.

Sirius and Harry chuckled.

"You that anxious to see a certain red head son" said Sirius.

"He must be Padfoot" said Harry.

Alex muttered looking at his feet.

"Boys, stop teasing him, we have to go" said Marlene.

"All right, all right" said Harry walking down the stairs with Sirius.

"Well lets not keep him waiting any longer" said Sirius as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah lets not keep him from the lovely Miss Bones any longer" said Dorcas.

"Shut up Dor" said Alex.

Dorcas laughed.

"Enough, come on we're late as it is" said Marlene.

Dorcas stopped laughing and took her mothers hand. Marlene picked up some floo powder from the box above the fireplace and led Dorcas into the fireplace.

"Diagon Alley" shouted Marlene throwing the powder at her feet causing a green flame to engulf her and Dorcas making them vanish from the fireplace.

"You two go next, I'll follow you" said Sirius.

"You ready for this brother?" said Harry.

"Yeah, lets go" said Alex confidently as the two walked towards the fireplace where Harry grabbed a handful of floo powder from the box.

The two stepped into the fireplace and wrapped an arm around each others shoulder.

"Diagon Alley" shouted Harry throwing the powder down at his feet causing green flames to engulf them.

A few seconds later the two arrived at the Leaky Cauldron where Harry released Alex causing him to fall to the floor to the amusement of himself and Dorcas, even Marlene cracked a small smile at Alex's fall.

"Oops" said Harry innocently.

"Twat" grumbled Alex getting up to his knees.

Harry laughed even more and offered his hand.

Alex took it and with Harry's help pulled himself to his feet.

"Careful brother, your intended is watching" said Dorcas sniggering.

Alex turned around before laying his eyes on his intended Heiress Susan Bones who was stood next to Marlene with her aunt Lady Amelia Bones.

Amelia Bones was in her late 30's with long dark brown hair and was dressed in a traditional witches dress. She was watching Alex with interest.

Susan walked past her aunt and Marlene and over to Alex.

The two wrapped each other tightly in a hug only to break apart when the fireplace roared again and Sirius stepped out.

"Come on love-birds lets get going" said Sirius smirking as he walked over and took Marlene's hand giving her a peck on the lips.

Alex and Susan blushed to the amusement of Harry, Dorcas and Amelia.

"Come on brother, you and Miss Bones will have plenty of time to get reacquainted later" said Harry clapping his hand on Alex's shoulder.

"Shut up Harry" said Alex.

Harry laughed and walked towards the entrance to the Alley.

Alex turned to Susan.

"Shall we" said Alex nervously offering his arm to Susan.

"We shall" said Susan taking his arm.

The two walked towards the entrance to the Alley where the others were waiting for them.

After they arrived Sirius opened the passageway by tapping the bricks with his wand.

The group walked through the entrance into the Alley.

"Where to first?" said Marlene.

"We'll go to Gringotts first, since Mr Black here needs to get his heirship ring and Susan needs some money, then we'll decide from there" said Amelia.

The group travelled to Gringotts where Alex formally took up his position as Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black and withdrew enough money for his school supplies and for the school year.

They went to Madam Malkins first where they got Alex and Susan fitted for their Hogwarts robes. Madam Malkin told them to come back in a few hours to pick them up. After that they went to Flourish and Blotts where they noticed the ginger haired freckled faced Ron Weasley complaining about having to attend Hogwarts with second hand equipment and robes. After purchasing their books they left Flourish and Blotts and headed to Olivanders so the two could get their wands.

Susan ended up with a 10 inch Yew and Dragon Heartstring wand while finding Alex's wand was taking an age having gone through eight wands already.

Olivander walked towards Alex with another wand box in his hand.

"Try this Mr Black, an Indian Wandmaker sold it to me many years ago, strange chap he was, 9 inches, Willow and Cobra venom" said Olivander.

Alex took the wand and waved it above his head before a warm feeling surged through his body.

"Yes, I think this is the wand for me" said Alex.

Olivander slowly nodded.

"A powerful wand that is, very good for offensive magic, use it well Mr Black" said Olivander in slight shock.

Alex nodded.

"How much for the wand's Mr Olivander?" said Marlene.

"7 galleon's each Lady Black" said Olivander.

Alex and Susan both paid for their wands and left the shop followed by the other's after saying goodbye to Mr Olivander.

After their visit to Olivander's they all had lunch at the Leaky Cauldron before picking up their robes from Madam Malkins. They finished their shopping including buying Alex a grey eagle owl which he named Hercules.

They travelled back to the Leaky Cauldron where they bumped into the stuttering Professor Quirrell who was their new DADA teacher. After a short conversation with him they left him on his own.

They all headed back to 12 Grimmauld Place. They all spent the evening at Grimmauld Place with Amelia and Susan joining them for tea and staying until late at night.

1st September 1991

Alex and Sirius emerged onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters pushing Alex's trolley at 10:45. Harry emerged a few seconds later with his trolley followed by Marlene and Dorcas.

"Come on lets find your friends" said Marlene.

They walked off towards the train where Harry spotted Katie and Joe knocking on the compartment window trying to get his attention.

Harry gave Sirius, Marlene and Dorcas a hug each before saying goodbye to them and promising to meet Alex on the train before leaving them to join his friends.

Alex saw Susan, Daphne and Tracey sat in one of the compartments and turned to his parents and sister.

"I'll see you at Christmas" said Alex giving each of them a hug goodbye.

"Don't forget to have fun Alex, I want to hear all about your pranks" said Sirius.

"Sirius" warned Marlene.

"Have a good time and work hard" said Marlene giving Alex an extra hug.

Alex turned to Dorcas.

"Goodbye sweet sister, don't drive mum and dad too crazy while I'm gone" said Alex.

Dorcas gave him an extra hug.

"I'll miss you big brother" said Dorcas sadly.

"I'll miss you two little sister, I'll write to you soon, before you know it you'll be joining me and Harry on this train" said Alex before walking away to carry his trunk and owl onto the train.

He made his way through the corridor arriving at his friends compartment. He entered the compartment with his trunk and owl.

"Excuse me, but I believe a gentleman is supposed to knock before entering a ladies compartment" said Tracey.

Alex laughed.

"Ah but we all know you'll let me off Tracey" said Alex placing Hercules on the seat.

The girls laughed while Alex placed his trunk in the overhead rack.

He sat down next to Susan and wrapped his arm round her shoulders causing her to lean into his chest.

"How was your summer then girls?" said Alex.

"Really good, went on holiday to France with my parents" said Tracey.

"Daddy's been teaching me more about my family history and politics, he even said that if he felt I was ready then I will become head of the family after I finish school" said Daphne.

"Wow, we didn't do much this summer" said Alex.

The four kept talking until the compartment door opened once again.

"So you all got started without me" said Blaise.

"All right Blaise, come sit down, we got catching up to do" said Alex.

Blaise walked into the compartment and sat down.

He told them about him spending the last three weeks of his summer travelling around Magical Europe with his Mother before the horn sounded announcing their departure from Kings Cross.

They all stood up and pressed themselves against the window waving goodbye to their families as the train pulled out of Kings Cross.

Once the train left the station they all sat down onto the seats with Alex and Susan on one with Daphne, Tracey and Blaise on the other.

"So anyone besides me and Sue met the new DADA Professor yet?" said Alex.

"No, what's he like?" said Blaise.

"He's a nervous wreck, can't stop stuttering for more than a few seconds" said Susan.

"Not exactly the best choice for a DADA teacher then" said Tracey.

"Yeah well, my dad thinks that there's some sort of curse on the position, no teacher has lasted more than a year for about 30 years, he's not the only one who thinks its cursed" said Daphne.

"Damm, makes you wonder why people keep taking the job" said Blaise.

"Yeah, and if you think what happened to the last one is bad, that's far from the worst" said a voice from the doorway.

They all turned to the doorway seeing Harry stood there leaning his left arm against the door.

"There's been worse than someone severing his own arm?" said Susan in shock.

"Much worse, one died in his sleep about 10 years ago I believe, another was paralysed from the waist down by a 7th year Muggleborn, the Ministry tried to get him sent to Azkaban for it but Aunt Andi managed to get the charges dropped" said Harry walking into the compartment and sitting next to Alex.

"Damm, if that was a pureblood or halfblood from an important family they never would've been dragged in front of the Ministry" said Tracey.

"Too right, but they the worst from what I heard, another one was killed fighting Death Eaters in the first war" said Harry.

"You'd have to either be insane or have balls of steel to take the job" said Daphne.

"Yeah you do, but enough of this lets talk about something else" said Susan.

"Well well, what do we have here, purebloods associating with half bloods below their status" drawled a voice from the doorway followed by sniggers.

They turned to look at the door seeing a blond haired boy around 11 years of age accompanied by two larger boys.

"Well, what do we have here, ferret faced, blonde hair, you must be a Malfoy" said Harry coolly.

"Draco Malfoy, heir to the Ancient and Noble house of Malfoy" said Draco.

"And this is Crabbe" gesturing to the boy on his right "and Goyle" continued Draco gesturing to the boy on his left.

Crabbe was tall with a large face and a flat pudding black hair. Goyle was tall with gangly arms and a gormless expression making him look like a gorilla.

"Ancient and Noble, I think not, the Malfoy's are a Noble house only, trust a self absorbed boy to presume his family is more important than they actually are" said Daphne chuckling lightly.

"Now see here Greengrass, my Father can make trouble for your Father" said Malfoy snidely.

"Careful Malfoy, Daddy's not here to protect you now" said Alex.

Malfoy made a move towards Alex but Harry stood up and stood in front of Draco.

"I think its time for you to leave Malfoy, and take your cronies with you" said Susan.

"You can't order me around Bones" said Draco.

"Leave Malfoy, you don't want to run into trouble before you arrive at Hogwarts do you?" said Tracey.

Darco pulled out his wand but froze when he noticed Harry's wand was already at his throat.

"Leave boy" said Harry darkly.

Darco scrambled back and stood in the doorway with Crabbe and Goyle.

"Now!" shouted Harry causing the three boys to run down the corridor.

Harry turned back to the others.

"Damn Potter, your scary when you get mad" said Daphne.

"Coming from the Ice Queen, I'll take that as a compliment" said Harry smirking.

"Harry here has always been able to scare people when he wants to, he even scares my Father sometimes" said Alex.

Harry the others laughed.

"All right, I'm heading back to my compartment, we'll be there in about 5 hours" said Harry.

"See you later Harry" said Alex as Harry walked towards the door.

The rest of the group said their goodbyes to him while he turned round at the door and nodded at them before setting off down the corridor.

He arrived back at his compartment a few minutes later and noticed the trolley lady stood outside serving his friends. He walked up to her after she had given Joe some pumpkin pasties.

"A box of jelly slugs, a chocolate frog and some Bertie Botts every flavour beans please" said Harry.

"8 Sickles please" said the Trolley Lady.

Harry handed her eight Sickles and took his sweets.

He waited until the Trolley Lady had moved past before entering the compartment to find Joe and Katie sharing a box of fizzy owl sweets.

"Did you find the others then Harry?" said Joe holding the box of fizzy owls towards him.

"Yeah" said Harry taking one and then sitting down.

Harry opened the jelly slugs then held them out towards the others.

"Lucius Malfoy's son turned up" said Harry as Katie and Joe both took a jelly slug each.

"What's he like, a bigger ponce than his father or not" said Katie popping the jelly slug into her mouth.

"Definitely, had to scare him off in the end, he'll do nothing but make trouble for the next few years" said Harry placing his jelly slugs on the seat and opening his chocolate frog.

"Bet he starts using daddy's money to buy his way into things at Hogwarts" said Joe.

The three kept talking and sharing food for about an hour before the door to the compartment opened to reveal Neville Longbottom and Ron Weasley dressed in their Hogwarts robes. Neville had a pudgy face and short black hair while Ron had ginger hair and freckles.

"You two ever hear of knocking" said Joe harshly.

The two ignored him.

"Have you seen his rat?" said Neville gesturing his head towards Ron.

"Knock next time Longbottom" said Harry.

"You brought a rat to school Weasley, and no we haven't seen it" said Katie.

"Next time you boys should knock, surely a pureblood heir knows that" said Harry.

"Watch who your talking to like that Potter, you're talking to the saviour of the wizarding world" said Ron.

"And that's Heir Potter to you Ronald Weasley, just because Dumbledore managed to get your Father onto the Wizergamot doesn't mean you can forget the rules, you refer to me as Heir Potter unless I say otherwise, and as for the saviour of the wizarding world, I don't see him here, you guys see him" said Harry looking at Joe and Katie who shook their heads.

"Nope" said Katie.

"Still haven't seen him" said Joe.

"Watch it, I am the one who killed You-Know-Who and the next prince of Gryffindor, as Gryffindor's yourself you would do well to remember that" said Neville angrily.

Harry, Katie and Joe laughed.

"Prince of Gryffindor, you've got a long way to go before that happens Heir Longbottom, and as for the person who killed You-Know-Who, if that is the case why is Dumbledore still going around claiming he isn't dead?" said Joe.

"Dumbledore has his reasons" said Neville.

"I'm sure he does, now if you have nothing further to add, please leave us be" said Katie.

"This isn't over" said Ron as he and Neville walked off.

Harry stood up and closed the compartment door.

"Wow, he is as arrogant as people say he is" said Joe.

"Yeah, just like his Father, Sirius always did say that Augusta Longbottom was the brains of that family, unlike her son she never really trusted Dumbledore, used to say he had too much power for one man" said Harry.

"She was probably right" said Katie.

"Yeah, its a shame most of Magical Britain look at him as the new Merlin, especially families like the Longbottom's and the Weasley's, he can do no wrong in their eyes" said Joe.

"Yeah, I bet you could find any dirty secret that Dumbldore has and they'll brand you as liars and dark wizards if your Slytherin's" said Harry.

"Slytherin's, dark wizards, I thought that was just some school yard rivalry" said Katie in confusion.

"Its well known that Frank Longbottom has a massive distrust of Slytherin house, something his son will have picked up on no doubt, and from what the twins told me of Ron last year, he sees anyone that comes from Slytherin as a dark wizard, not to mention sees Gryffindor as the only worthy house" said Harry.

"Is it cruel to hope he ends up in Slytherin" said Joe.

"Maybe, maybe not" said Katie.

The three laughed and continued talking all the way to Hogwarts.

As the train arrived Alex, Susan, Daphne, Tracey and Blaise were leaving their compartment. They left the carriage and descended onto the platform.

As they walked down the platform they saw Hagrid beckoning the stood at the end of the platform holding a lantern.

"Firs Years, this way Please" shouted Hagrid.

The five walked towards him.

"Firs Years, come on don be shy, over here" shouted Hagrid.

As they arrived at the end of the platform they saw Hagrid holding up a large grey rat.

"Yer there, this yer rat" said Hagrid looking at Ron.

"Yeah" said Ron who took the rat from Hagrid.

They took off walking towards the boats by the lake.

Meanwhile Harry, Joe and Katie were departing the train and heading for the carriages which would take them to the castle.

They boarded one of the carriages with the Weasley twins and their friend Lee Jordan and set off for the castle.

Arriving in the Great Hall they made their way over to the Gryffindor table and sat down.

"So Harry, do you think your godbrother is a lion like us or not?" said Katie.

"Nah, he's not like his parents or me, he'll end up in Ravenclaw probably, he's always been driven by knowledge, though he's ambitious enough to be in Slytherin if he chooses" said Harry.

"Mind you other than your godfather, when is the last time a Black went anywhere but Slytherin?" said Joe.

"Years probably" said Harry.

"Well, it looks like we'll find out in a few minutes" said Katie looking towards the Great Hall doors where Professor Mcgonagall had just entered the hall making her way towards the staff table. The stool and Sorting Hat had already been placed in front of the staff table.

After a few short words with Professor Dumbledore Mcgonagall turned around and walked back towards the doors. She left the Great Hall causing all the students and staff to turn towards the doors.

A few seconds later the doors opened and in walked Mcgonagall followed by the first years. Harry noticed Alex and his friends walking as a group and nodded at them smiling. They all nodded and smiled back at him while walking towards the front.

Joe heard one of the female first years telling others about the bewitched ceiling and chuckled causing Harry and Katie to look at him.

"Muggleborns, always so surprised when they get here that one will tell others things they already know" said Joe.

"Aye" said Harry turning back towards the front where Mcgonagall unrolled the parchment in her hand.

"All right, now when I call your name, I will place the sorting hat on top of your head, and you will be sorted into your houses" said Mcgonagall holding up the Sorting Hat.

"Abbott, Hannah" shouted Mcgonagall.

A blonde girl with pigtails stepped up and sat on the stool nervously.

Thirty seconds later a mouth on top of the Hat opened.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the Hat.

The Hufflepuff table exploded in cheers as Mcgonagall removed the Hat and Hannah went to join the Hufflepuff table.

"Black, Alexander" shouted Mcgonagall.

Alex walked up to the stool slightly nervously. He noticed Dumbledore watching him with interest while Snape was looking at him with pure hatred but he ignored them.

He sat down and Mcgonagall placed the Hat on his head. He felt something probing his mind.

"Ah a Black, I haven't sorted one of you since your Uncle Regulus, now lets see, you have a passion for knowledge, a trait of Rowena in you, but you are also brave and loyal to your friends, traits for Godric and Helga, but what's this I sense here, ah yes ambition, something Salazar liked, but what do you value most" said the Hat in his head.

Alex thought for a moment before mentally saying the answer to the Hat.

"Very well then Mr Black, your choice has been made" said the Hat in his head.

"RAVENCLAW!" shouted the Hat.

The Hall went silent for a second before cheers erupted from his friends and the entire Ravenclaw table. Harry, Joe and Katie also stood up and clapped.

Mcgonagall removed the Hat from his head allowing Alex to go and sit down at the Ravenclaw table.

Mcgonagall looked back at the list.

"Bones, Susan" shouted Mcgonagall.

Susan gathered up her courage and walked up to the stool where Mcgonagall placed the Hat on her head.

Alex crossed his fingers.

"Ah another Bones, now where do I put you, ah as I thought, loyal to the end, the best place for you is" said the Hat in her head.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the Hat to the applause of said table and her friends with Alex cheering the loudest.

Susan smiled and went to join Hannah at the Hufflepuff table after Mcgonagall removed the hat from her head.

Boot, Terry and Brocklehurst, Mandy joined Alex in Raveclaw, Brown, Lavander was the first to go to Gryffindor, both Bullstrode, Millicent and Crabbe, Vincent went to Slytherin while Corner, Michael went to Ravenclaw.

"Davis, Tracey" shouted Mcgonagall.

Tracey walked up to the stool confidently where the Hat was placed on her head.

"Ah, ambitious, smart, but also bravery, you have a choice Miss Davis, which of the three do you value the most" said the Hat in her head.

"Ambition" said Tracey in her head.

"SLYTHERIN!" shouted the Hat to the applause of her friends and said table.

Tracey set off for the Slytherin table.

Finch-Fletchley, Justin went to Hufflepuff, while Finnegan, Seamus became the second Gryffindor and Goldstein, Anthony went to Ravenclaw, Goyle, Gregory went to Slytherin, Granger Hermione went to Gryffindor after a thirty second sorting.

"Greengrass, Daphne" shouted Mcgonagall.

Daphne walked up to the stool gracefully and the Hat was placed on her head.

"Ah, young miss Greengrass, you are a difficult one indeed, you lean strongly towards two houses, I could tell you but you already know which houses I am referring to, so what are you, knowledgeable or cunning" said the Hat in her head.

"Cunning" said Daphne in her head.

"SLYTHERIN!" shouted the Hat.

Her friends and Slytherin table cheered for her as she removed the hat and sat down next to Tracey.

"Longbottom, Neville" shouted Mcgonagall.

Whispers emerged from around the Hall as Neville walked up to the stool.

"It's him"

"The Boy Who Lived"

"The boy who stopped the Dark Lord"

"A lion for sure"

Harry noticed Dumbledore paying particular attention to Neville.

The Hat was placed on Neville's head and twenty seconds later it had its answer.

"GRYFFINDOR" shouted the Hat.

The entire hall apart from the group and most of Slytherin table erupted in cheers and applause including a "we got Longbottom" chant from the Weasley Twins as Neville removed the Hat and went to sit at the Gryffindor table.

Macmillan, Ernie went to Hufflepuff, Malfoy, Draco was sorted to Slytherin before the hat barely touched his head, Li, Su went to Ravenclaw, both Nott, Theodore and Parkinson, Pansy went to Slytherin, Patil, Padma went to Ravenclaw while her twin sister Parvati went to Gryffindor, Perks, Sally-Anne went to Hufflepuff, Turpin, Lisa was sorted into Ravenclaw, Thomas, Dean went to Gryffindor, Weasley, Ron went to Gryffindor to his relief.

"Zabini, Blaise" shouted Mcgonagall.

Blaise walked up to the stool and the Hat was placed upon his head.

"Ah, ambitious and cunning, a true snake" said the Hat in his head.

"SLYTHERIN" shouted the Hat.

The Slytherin table cheered along with his friends as he joined the Slytherin table

.

Filch walked up and removed the stool and Hat from the hall as Dumbledore stood up.

"Welcome, to returning students welcome back, to new students welcome to Hogwarts, now I have a few words to say to you, nitwitt, odment, blubber and tweak, now tuck in" said Dumbledore sitting down.

Plates of all sorts of food appeared on the table in front of them. Potatoes roast, mashed and boiled, chips, pies, Yorkshire puddings, all kinds of meat including steaks, sausages and chicken legs, trays of every imaginable vegetable, boats of gravy and mint sauce. Flagons of pumpkin juice and water also decorated the table.

 **(A/N: extract taken from my other story The Forgotten Hero Part I – Chapter 3)**

While Harry was eating his steak pie Katie gave a noise of disgust across from him.

Harry looked at her in confusion. She gestured to her right with her head.

Harry looked down the table and saw the reason of her disgust.

Ron Weasley was a pig, no other word for it a pig, he had piled lots of food onto his plate and was currently eating two chicken legs with his mouth spraying the table in front of him with bits of chicken.

Harry turned away from him and nodded to Katie agreeing with her as one of the first year boys could be heard telling him to eat properly.

Meanwhile at the Ravenclaw table Alex was talking to Padma Patil and Anthony Goldstein while he was eating his chicken legs and chips while glancing at Susan who was talking and laughing with Hannah Abbott.

"So, your the Black Heir" said the long black haired Anthony Goldstein.

"That I am, Alexander Black, but my friends call me Alex" said Alex holding out his hand.

"Anthony Goldstein" shaking his hand.

"Padma Patil" said the black haired Indian girl smiling at him.

"Nice to meet you" said Alex smiling back at him.

After the feast which included a large variety of desserts Dumbledore stood up once more.

Everyone in the Great Hall turned to him.

"Now that were all happy and fed, I'd like to go over a few rules, firstly first years please note that the Forbidden Forest is strictly out of bounds to all students, and a few of our older students should remember this as well" said Dumbledore.

 **(A/N: extract taken from my other story The Forgotten Hero Part I – Chapter 3)**

Alex saw his gaze linger over the Gryffindor table.

"Also our caretaker Mr Filch has asked me to remind you about the list of banned items on the door of his office, and lastly all students please note that the third floor corridor on the west side is strictly out of bounds to all students, less you want to die a particularly horrible and painful death" continued Dumbledore solemnly.

Shudders were heard all around the great hall at the last statement.

 **(A/N: extract taken from my other story The Forgotten Hero Part I – Chapter 3)**

"He's lost the plot" said Joe.

"What's so special about that corridor this year, last year it was fine" said Katie.

"I don't know, but it seems our dear Headmaster is hiding something" said Harry.

"Also anyone wishing to try out for their house teams please speak to your house captains, also may I please remind you that first years are not permitted to try out for their house teams, now the new fifth year prefects will escorting the first year students to their specific houses, goodnight" said Dumbledore.

 **(A/N: extract taken from my other story The Forgotten Hero Part I – Chapter 3)**

The brown haired fifth year Ravenclaw prefect Penelope Clearwater stood up from the table.

"First years, follow me please" said Penelope.

Alex and the rest of the first year Ravenclaw's stood up before following Penelope out of the hall. She led them through the castle and up the stairs to one of the towers before they arrived at a large oak door with a brass knocker in the shape of a raven.

Penelope turned to face them.

"This is the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room, there is no password, instead you must correctly answer a question or solve a riddle to gain access, if you can't answer then you must wait for another student to answer the question correctly" said Penelope knocking on the door.

The raven knocker raised its head and looked at them before speaking with an old wise voice.

"What is the last enemy that shall be defeated?"

"Does anyone want to answer this?" said Penelope.

Alex walked towards the door.

"I will" said Alex.

Penelope stepped aside.

"The last enemy that shall be defeated is death" said Alex.

"Correct" said the knocker causing the door to open.

Penelope entered the tower followed by the first years before stopping in the centre of the common room.

The common room had leather chairs and two settees round a large fireplace on the left of the room. There were two upward staircases at the back of the room, there were a few bookshelves with chairs and tables on the right of the room.

"Welcome to the Ravenclaw common room, you will have access to your relevant year books from our library and can do your homework and studying in here as well, also as Ravenclaw's you are expected to complete all homework on time and do the best in your lessons, we are the house of knowledge in this castle, so go out there and prove that you are the smartest, now first year boys your dorms are on the first floor of the left staircase, girls the same on the right staircase, your belongings have already been brought up for you, curfew is at 9.30, so feel free to explore the common room until then, if you have any questions, seek me or any other prefect out and ask them" said Penelope before leaving them.

Alex, Anthony and Padma sat down on one of the settees together as the other first years walked around the common room or headed up to their dorms.


	4. Chapter 4

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

1st September 1991

Harry, Joe and Katie were walking back to Gryffindor tower with Gryffindor quidditch captain Oliver Wood and the Weasley Twins.

Oliver was quite tall with a small amount of muscles from playing quidditch and short brown hair.

"So you two are considering trying out then, I only have two free spots on my team at the moment, chaser and seeker" said Oliver.

"Perfect, I was hoping to try out for seeker anyway" said Harry.

"I've always wanted to play as chaser" said Katie.

"Good, try outs are this sunday so good luck" said Oliver.

"Be warned though, Wood here is a real slave driver on that pitch" said Fred.

"Aye, we joined last year and never worked that hard in our lives" said George.

"Not that we ever work hard anyway" said Fred.

"We get the picture" said Joe sarcastically.

"Come on lets get back to the common room, plans to make, pranks to pull" said George.

"And Ickle Ronniekins to annoy" said Fred.

Harry, Katie and Joe all laughed while Wood and the Twins smirked.

They approached the Fat Lady portrait.

"Anyone know the password?" said Katie.

"Yeah, a prefect downstairs told us" said George.

"Caput Draconis" said Fred to the Fat Lady portrait.

"Correct" replied the Fat Lady as the portrait swung open.

They walked into the common room where Harry, Joe and Katie went and sat down on a settee in front of the fireplace.

They looked around to see various first years exploring the tower with amazement and looks of approval on their faces.

"Just like us eh?" said Joe.

"Yeah, always amazed for the first few days, then you just get used to it" said Harry.

"Especially for the muggleborns, this is something completely new for them" said Katie.

"Like that one you mean" said Joe indicating his head to where a bushy haired first year girl was stood looking shocked while the portrait of Godric Gryffindor was talking to her.

Harry and Katie looked over and nodded.

"Yeah" said Katie.

A grumbling noise came from Joe.

"Damm, I'm still hungry" said Joe.

"No surprise there" said Katie sarcastically.

"Come on, we'll get some food from the kitchens" said Harry.

"Do you even know where they are?" said Joe.

"Nope" said Harry.

"Brilliant plan, except for the major and obvious flaw in it" said Joe.

"Relax, we'll ask someone to tell us" said Harry.

"Like who?" said Katie.

"The Twins, obviously, they snuck out to the kitchens to get food for that all night party after nearly winning the quidditch cup last year remember" said Harry.

"That the one where Mcgonagall had come and stop the party at 3 in the morning?" said Katie.

"Yeah, that one" said Harry.

"Go and ask them then, curfew is in half an hour, and I do not fancy a detention before term officially starts" said Joe.

"Come on then" said Katie.

The three got up and walked over to where the Weasley twins were stood by the boys staircase talking to Lee Jordan.

"Hey Fred, got a minute?" said Harry.

The three turned to look at them.

"What's up?" said Fred.

"How did you guys get into the kitchens last year?" said Katie.

"What you hungry or something" said George.

"Yeah well seeing your brother eat made me lose my appetite at dinner" said Joe sarcastically.

"My apologies on behalf of Ickle Ronniekins, we're still trying to find out how we're related to him" said Fred pretending to be embarrassed.

"We have been trying for years" sighed George.

"All right, all right, back to the matter at hand" said Harry.

The three looked at each other before nodding.

"All right, go down to the basement near classroom 12, there is a portrait of a fruit bowl, tickle the pear and it will laugh before revealing the door handle, open it and your in" said Lee.

"Cheers, we'll see you guys later" said Joe.

"No problem" said Fred.

The three walked out of the dorm and headed for the kitchens.

After receiving some sandwiches and butterbeer off of the house elves in the kitchen they headed back to Gryffindor Tower.

Unfortunately they were caught by Filch ten minutes after curfew and dragged to Mcgonagall's office where to their misfortune they lost 5 points each for breaking curfew before being escorted back to Gryffindor Tower.

The next day Alex awoke in his four poster bed in Ravenclaw tower. He stretched and yawned before picking up his wand and casting a 'Tempus' charm to reveal the time 7.30 am.

Yawning slightly he got up and opened his trunk at the bottom of his bed and pulled out his uniform which now contained a blue and bronze tie and the Ravenclaw crest on his jumper and robe. He walked into the bathroom to have a shower and get dressed.

After exiting the bathroom he threw his pyjamas in the linen basket and noticed Anthony getting out of bed.

"I'll wait for you downstairs" said Alex.

"Okay" said Anthony opening his trunk.

Alex walked out of the doors and down the stairs leading to the common room.

He sat down on one of the lounge chairs waiting for Anthony to come down. After a few minutes Padma came over and joined him dressed in her uniform. The two sat talking about their upcoming classes until Anthony made his way over to them. They all left and walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

At the same time Alex was leaving Susan was making her way into the Great Hall towards the Hufflepuff table accompanied by Hannah Abbott and Sally-Anne Perks. She helped hereself to some scrambled eggs and toast before Alex walked in a few minutes later.

He walked up between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables before saying goodbye to Anthony and Padma and sitting down next to Susan.

"Morning, Sue" said Alex giving her a quick hug before getting some cereals and milk.

"Hey, you have a good night?" replied Susan.

"Yeah, better than Harry's anyway" said Alex with a hint of amusement.

"What's he done now?" said Susan.

"What's who done?" said the short blonde haired Sally-Anne Perks before mouthing "sorry" when Alex and Susan turned to look at her.

"Its all right, my godbrother and his got caught sneaking back from the kitchens after curfew, they've already managed to get Gryffindor on minus 15 points before the first lesson, he and his friends were complaining about on the way into the Great Hall a few minutes ago" said Alex laughing slightly.

"Godbrother?" said Sally-Anne.

"Harry Potter, he's a second year" said Susan.

"And a cute one at that" said Hannah smirking slightly.

"Neither the time nor the place Miss Abbott" said Alex.

Hannah just laughed at him.

"Mr Black, you are sitting on the wrong table, please get up and leave" drawled a silky voice from behind Alex.

Alex turned around to see the Potions Professor Severus Snape stood behind him. He was 33 years of age with long curtain like black hair framed around his face. He was dressed in black robes making him look somewhat like an overgrown bat.

"Actually Professor Snape, I am allowed to sit here this morning, rules say that I am only required to sit at my table during the opening feast, Halloween and the leaving feast" said Alex icily.

Snape looked shocked for a second.

"Just as I thought, your just as arrogant as your-" drawled Snape.

"Watch what you say about my Father Severus, that is your only warning" said Alex cutting him off.

Snape snarled.

"50 points from Ravenclaw for rudeness, and detention with me for the next two nights" said Snape.

"That's not exactly fair Professor" said Susan.

"Quiet Miss Bones, or it'll be detention for you as well" said Snape.

Susan opened her mouth to speak again but Alex placed his hand on her arm causing her to close it.

Snape nodded his head and then left.

"What a creep" said Hannah.

"That's so unfair, he was insulting your Father" said Sally-Anne.

"He and my Father have hated each other since they were 11, he hates Harry's Father and Harry as well, its no bother, I'll talk to Professor Flitwick, he'll get rid of the detentions, Professor Mcgonagall did the same for Harry last year when Snape kept antagonizing him" said Alex.

"Well, it will be an interesting 7 years between you two then, besides that's just part of it, everyone knows he's so biased towards Slytherin, he's the only reason they win the House Cup each year" said Susan.

"Yeah, but enough talk about that greasy haired git, lets finish breakfast then they give us our timetables" said Alex.

"Yeah, Suzie's been looking forward to that all morning, to find out how many classes she shares with her darling Alex" said Hannah laughing slightly causing Susan to blush.

Sally-Anne laughed lightly while Alex just pulled Susan close.

"Trust me Miss Abbott, when you have a handsome betrothed like Susan has, you'll understand her need to spend time with him, maybe Harry might take you up on that compliment of him one day" said Alex smirking.

Susan laughed while Hannah went red and Sally-Anne chuckled.

"Mr Black" came a squeaky voice from behind Alex.

Alex turned around to see the white haired half goblin Professor Flitwick stood behind him standing only a bit shorter than Alex.

"Your timetable" said Flitwick handing him a sheet of parchment.

Alex looked at the parchment.

Black, Alexander, Marcus.

Monday

9.30 to 10.30 – Free period

10.30 to 10.45 – Break

10.45 to 11.45 – History of Magic (with Gryffindor)

11.45 to 12.45 – Lunch

12.45 to 13.45 – Herbology (with Slytherin)

14.00 to 16.00 – Double Charms (with Gryffindor)

16.00 to 18.00 – Free time

18.00 to 19.00 – Dinner

19.00 to 21.00 – Free time

21.00 – Curfew

Tuesday

9.30 to 11.30 – DADA (with Hufflepuff)

11.45 to 12.45 – Lunch

12.45 to 14.45 – Double Transfiguration (with Slytherin)

15.00 to 16.00 – Potions (with Hufflepuff)

16.00 to 18.00 – Free time

18.00 to 19.00 – Dinner

19.00 to 21.00 – Free time

21.00 – Curfew

Wednesday

9.30 to 10.30 – History of Magic (with Gryffindor)

10.30 to 10.45 – Break

10.45 to 11.45 – Charms (with Gryffindor)

11.45 to 12.45 – Lunch

12.45 to 13.45 – Free period

14.00 to 16.00 – Double DADA (with Hufflepuff

16.00 to 18.00 – Free time

18.00 to 19.00 – Dinner

19.00 to 21.00 – Free time

21.00 to 23.00 – Astronomy (all houses)

Thursday

9.30 to 11.30 – Double Herbology (with Slytherin)

10.30 to 10.45 – Break

10.45 to 11.45 – History of Magic (with Gryffindor)

11.45 to 12.45 – Lunch

12.45 to 13.45 – Free period

14.00 to 16.00 – Double Potions (with Hufflepuff)

16.00 to 18.00 – Free time

18.00 to 19.00 – Dinner

19.00 to 21.00 – Free time

21.00 – Curfew

Friday

9.30 to 11.30 – Double Charms (with Gryffindor)

11.30 to 11.45 – Break

11.45 to 12.45 – Lunch

12.45 to 13.45 – Transfiguration (with Slytherin)

14.00 to 16.00 – Flying lessons (with Hufflepuff)

16.00 to 18.00 – Free time

18.00 to 19.00 – Dinner

19.00 to 21.00 – Free time

21.00 – Curfew

"Not bad at all, we've got a few lessons together at least" said Alex turning back to Susan who smiled.

"Yeah, I got a smart claw to help me with my work" said Susan.

"Only a smart claw?" said Alex.

"Fine, a smart handsome claw" said Susan as Hannah pretended to vomit into her breakfast.

"That'll do" said Alex.

Meanwhile over at the Gryffindor table.

"So Snivellus has started on Alex already, typical" said Harry.

"Who will the greasy haired git hate more, you or him?" said Joe finishing a slice of toast.

"He'll hate Alex more than me" said Harry taking a drink of pumpkin juice.

"What makes you say that?" said Katie.

"Sirius nearly got him killed in their 5th year, my Father stopped him and saved his life, which he resented my Father for" said Harry.

"He resents your Father for saving his life" said Joe.

"That and my Father had the one thing Snape always wanted but never got" said Harry.

"What was that?" said Katie.

"My Mother's love, Snape and my Mother were very close as children, Sirius told me Snape always had a crush on her but he ruined everything in their 5th year" said Harry.

"I'm guessing then that he sees your Father in you and sees that pain every time he looks at you" said Katie.

"Yeah, it seems some grudges are hard to let go, same with Alex, Snape only sees what he thinks is a copy of the man who nearly killed him" said Harry.

"Damm, that's really something" said Joe.

"Yeah" said Harry.

"Mr Potter, Mr Harper, Miss Bell, I see that you've had a good nights sleep" said a sarcastic voice behind them.

Harry and Joe turned around to see Professor Mcgonagall stood behind them with sheets of parchment in her hand.

"Yeah we did" said Katie sheepishly.

Mcgonagall nodded managing a small smirk.

"Good, here are your timetables" said Mcgonagall handing them each a sheet of parchment which they took before she moved down the table to a group of fourth years.

"Great, double Potions with the git first" said Joe in annoyance looking at his timetable.

"Oh god, that'll be 20 points from Gryffindor by lunchtime at least" said Katie.

"That greasy git will cost us the house cup again" said Harry.

"Well lets go get it over with, who knows some brilliant prankster might have slipped laxative into his breakfast for once" said Joe chuckling slightly.

"If only someone would actually do it" said Harry.

"Well they probably haven't, so don't mention Snape and laxative together after breakfast again, I'd rather not see my breakfast again" said Katie wrinkling her nose in disgust at her last words.

Joe and Harry laughed at her.

"Come on then, lets get out of here" said Joe.

The three got up from the table and made their way out of the hall heading for the dungeons. After they arrived they entered the classroom and sat down on the four seat table at the back of the room as other Gryffindor and Slytherin students began to enter the room.

Once everyone was sat down Snape strode into the classroom keeping his gaze firmly in front of him.

"Well, I see that all of the dunderheads from last year have managed to pass their end of year exams thus being able to return this year, despite how talentless some of you are" said Snape eyes fixing on Harry at the last statement.

Harry just fixed him a glare back.

Snape whipped out his wand.

"Instructions are on the board, you will be brewing the laughing solution today, begin" said Snape flicking his wand at the board causing the instructions to write themselves on the board.

Harry and Katie went to the store cupboard at the back of the room to get the ingredients for their potions. Once they were back at the desk Harry partnered with Joe while Katie partnered with a brown haired Gryffindor girl called Leanne Porter.

Snape as usual strode between each desk inspecting their potions praising the Slytherins at every chance he got and staying silent every time he passed Harry and Joe's near perfect potion to the potion masters annoyance.

After their potions had finished brewing they were told to fill a crystal phial of each of their potions with their names on for marking. After Harry had written his name on their phial Joe leaned towards him.

"Hey Harry, have you got any spare phials?" said Joe.

"Yeah why?" said Harry smiling getting the idea where his friend was going with this.

"Pass them here, I have a feeling they will make a great present for our dear teacher" said Joe smirking.

"All right, but be quick about it" said Harry reaching into his back and handing him two more crystal phials.

Joe took them and filled them up placing stoppers on them. He handed them back to Harry who placed them in his bag where Katie noticed.

"What are you two doing now?" whispered Katie to Harry.

"Halloween present for the git" whispered Joe.

Katie nodded before smiling. Harry and Joe looked at her in confusion as she pulled two more phials out of her bag and filled them with her own laughing solution which she then placed back in her bag.

"You sneaky devil" said Harry chuckling.

Katie just smirked and nodded at him before walking up to the front to hand her work in.

Harry followed her as Joe vanished the remnants of theirs and Katie's potions before picking his bag up. Once Harry and Katie returned to the desks they picked their bags up and left the classroom.

"What have we got next?" said Joe as they left the classroom.

Katie pulled out her timetable and looked at it.

"Charms until lunch" said Katie smiling.

"Miss Bells favourite subject, I wonder why?" said Harry smiling.

"Cos she's better than both of us at it, as she likes to remind us frequently as well" said Joe smiling.

"That's because I am the best at it Joseph Harper" said Katie confidently.

Joe looked annoyed at the use of his full name while Harry laughed at the pair of them.

"Well then Katherine Bell, lets see who's best this time, with a little competition" said Joe.

"This won't end well" said Harry to the two.

"All right, your on, first one to complete the work wins, the winner gets anything they want from the loser" said Katie smirking.

"Your on" said Joe.

The two shook hands and kept walking down the corridor with Harry.

He leaned over towards Katie.

"Since your going to win this anyway, why not tell me what his punishment will be" said Katie.

Katie smirked.

"Oh I could, but I won't, its a surprise" said Katie.

True indeed Katie did win that little competition in Charms being the first in the class to perform the cheering charm. As they were leaving the room after the lesson Joe found out what his punishment was.

"You have to do what I say for the rest of the week, no matter how much you hate it" said Katie.

"What everything you say for a week" said Joe in anguish.

"Everything, carry my bag and books, do my History of Magic homework, you can carry my broom to tryouts for me this weekend, I might even have you paint my nails for me in the common room" said Katie smiling.

Joe groaned while Harry and Katie laughed at him. Harry whispered to him.

"Serves you right for making that stupid bet in the first place" said Harry chuckling.

Joe gave him a friendly punch on the arm as they continued walking towards the Great Hall for lunch.

Outside the Great Hall they noticed that Daphne, Tracey and Blaise were engaged in a heated argument with Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. As they approached them they saw Daphne point her wand at Malfoy and cast a spell that caused him to drop to the floor in agony. They walked up to Daphne, Tracey and Blaise who had their backs to them.

"So tell me Miss Greengrass, what exactly did you just do to Mr Malfoy that's caused him some sort of damage?" said Katie in a stern voice mimicked to sound like Professor Mcgonagall.

Daphne, Tracey and Blaise all shot round rapidly before scowling at the sight of Harry, Joe and Katie laughing slightly.

"Merlin don't scare us like that again, we actually thought you were Mcgonagall" said Tracey.

"I know, that's why its funny" said Katie laughing.

"So what exactly did you do to the ferret, and why?" said Harry who stopped laughing.

Daphne smirked.

"Freezing spell, in some of his vital areas, guy was being an absolute arse last night and today, he got what he deserved" said Daphne proudly.

"Ouch" said Joe.

"Aye, he spent all night going round the common room saying he was gonna rule this house, also said that anyone has a problem with him his Father will get involved, shame really because Lucius Malfoy terrifies some of the parents of children in Slytherin house, so they won't think twice about doing anything" said Blaise.

"Aye, he's always been a presumptuous git just like his son, the ponce even bribed the Ministry into letting him off free at the end of the first war, but Sirius knows he was one of Voldemort's inner Circle" said Harry with the name 'Voldemort' causing the others to shudder.

"Aye, he's still not changed, always bribing Fudge for different things, he's on the board of governors because he threw money around, next thing you know he'll bribe Fudge to make the Malfoy's an Ancient and Noble House" said Daphne.

"Thankfully the Wizergamot won't let that one come to pass, he'd need to prove that his family have been in Britain for at least 300 years and then have enough votes from other houses to upgrade his family heritage" said Joe.

"Yeah, the last thing we want are people like the Malfoy's gaining more power" said Harry.

"Well enough of this, come on lets eat, come join us at the lions table" said Katie.

"That would cause a real stir wouldn't it Miss Bell?" said Blaise snorting.

"Yes, but there's nothing people can do about it, so come and join us" said Katie.

"Sure, causing a stir among the lions is one of the greatest moments of joy for us snakes" said Tracey.

The group laughed as they made their way into the Great Hall and sat down together in the middle of the Gryffindor table. Murmurs and gasps could be heard round the hall as they helped themselves to sandwiches but they paid them no mind.

That all changed after a few minutes.

"Oi, what are you snakes doing on our table?" shouted a voice they recognised as Neville.

They looked down the aisle to see Neville Longbottom and Ron Weasley walking towards them with looks of anger on their faces.

"We invited them Longbottom, is that a problem?" said Harry plainly.

"Yeah its a bloody problem, those filthy snakes don't belong on the Gryffindor table, their all just children of death eaters" shouted Ron causing people in the hall to gasp.

Blaise stood up.

"Is that so Weasel?" said Blaise.

"Yes, it is" said Neville.

"Well then you better get your facts right next time, we are not all children of death eaters, my Father fought against the Dark Lord, and lost his life fighting death eaters to protect his family, and I will not let you insult the memory of a great man you bigoted prejudiced little boy" said Blaise in anger as Alex and Susan joined them.

"Whats going on?" said Alex in surprise.

"Two insolent little boys trying to drag my dead Father through the dirt" said Blaise in anger.

Mcgonagall finally reached where they were all stood as Blaise was breathing heavily with a murderous look on his face.

"What is going on here?" said Mcgonagall.

"Mr's Weasley and Longbottom seem to have forgotten that students are permitted to sit at other house tables and chose to insult my friends here, so much for proud Gryffindors" said Harry.

Mcgonagall turned to Neville and Ron.

"Is this true boys?" said Mcgonagall sternly.

Neville and Ron spluttered until another voice brought things to a halt once again.

"Now, now Professor Mcgonagall I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding, there is no reason to punish these boys further" said Dumbledore in his grandfather voice.

They all turned to look at him while Neville and Ron smirked.

"With respect Headmaster, the comments made by these two warrant punishment regardless of whether they meant it or not, but of course some of us don't want the Boy-Who-lived to be getting into trouble do we, that wouldn't help the greater good would it" said Joe glaring at Dumbledore with his last few words.

Surprisingly Dumbledore flinched.

"Very well Professor Mcgonagall, I will leave their punishment to you" said Dumbledore walking away hastily.

Professor Mcgonagall nodded and turned back to the two boys.

"Very well, lets see 40 points from Gryffindor each for causing a disruption and foul comments about fellow students, and two weeks detention with Filch each, not to mention I will be writing to your families, if this happens again, I will double the punishment, do you understand?" said Mcgonagall threateningly.

Ron and Neville nodded quickly.

"Good, Filch will meet you outside the Great Hall at 6.30 tonight to begin your detentions" said Mcgonagall leaving them.

Ron and Neville turned to walk away.

"Hold on boys, I believe you owe an apology to Blaise" said Susan.

Ron and Neville turned round to protest.

"Apologise, now" said Alex sternly.

Both boys snarled before walking up to Blaise.

"We're sorry" muttered the boys in unison before they quickly left.

Blaise sat down.

"I'm sorry about that mate, little bastards are gonna get some real talking to tonight in the tower" said Joe.

"Bloody disgraceful, not to mention Dumbledore tries to get them off scott free, the biased old goat, come to think of it what was it about you saying greater good that made him flinch Joe" said Alex.

Joe looked up and down the table before answering.

"Dumbledore's got some real skeletons in his closet, particularly about a former friend of his, from what I've heard the old goat was as manipulative in his younger years as he is now" said Joe.

"What skeletons?" said Daphne.

"Dark ones Miss Greengrass, some darker than others, my Grandfather knew him years ago, but he never told me more than that, he died when I was 10 so I guess I'll never know the full story" said Joe.

"Shame, it would have been interesting to find out exactly what skeletons are in his closet" said Susan.

"Yeah, by the way, we've got to be in lesson in 10 minutes" said Katie.

"What have we got?" said Joe.

"History of Magic with the puffs" said Harry.

Alex looked at his timetable.

"Herbology then Double Charms" said Alex.

"Herbology then DADA" said Tracey.

"Free period then Herbology" said Susan.

"Well, we're gonna get off, we'll see you all later" said Katie as she Harry and Joe got up from the table and left.

Susan gave Alex a hug and left shorty after. Lastly Alex, Daphne, Tracey and Blaise got up and left the hall.


	5. Chapter 5

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

3rd September 1991

Alex made his way into Professor Quirrells DADA classroom with Susan and Hannah. The room was dark and strongly smelled of garlic. Alex and Susan went and sat at a desk near the front as did all the other Ravenclaws clearly wanting to get as close to the teacher as possible to hear him better.

After all of the students had sat down a nervous looking Professor Quirrell emerged from his office and slowly made his way towards them.

"Ggg-good mm-morning, st-students, I am your De-De-Defense A-Against the D-Dark Arts te-teacher Pr-Professor Qui-Quirrell" stuttered Professor Quirrell squeezing his hands tightly together as he spoke.

Alex rolled his eyes.

"Great, he's bloody terrified of his subject" whispered Alex to Susan.

"Yeah, why would Dumbledore hire him out of anyone else?" whispered Susan.

"I don't know, but we'll talk about it more after class" whispered Alex as Quirrell seemed to have gotten over his nervousness for a bit.

He gave a short speech explaining the course and first term work to them for the first twenty minutes during which his stutter returned. After which he had been so nervous that he tasked them with reading through the first three chapters of their textbooks while he sat in quiet contemplation at his desk observing them the whole time.

After the lesson Alex had another free period along with Susan. The two spent an hour exploring the castle before returning to the Great Hall for lunch where they joined Anthony and Padma at the Ravenclaw table making jokes about Quirrell and their anticipation for their other lessons before Alex, Anthony and Padma left for their double Transfiguration lesson while Susan headed for her Charms lesson.

Alex sat down on a table with Blaise while Daphne joined Tracey on the table next to them as the cat annimagus Professor Mcgonagall leaped from the desk transforming back into her human form.

Professor Mcgonagall was as strict as Alex knew she would be, starting the lesson with a warning not to mess around in her class which was not ignored. She had tasked them all with some basic transfiguration of turning a match into a needle.

Daphne had achieved this first earning ten points for Slytherin while Alex managed to achieve it towards the end of the session.

Of course later that afternoon came Alex's least favourite lesson. Potions with Snape.

Alex and Susan had taken a table near the back of the room hoping to avoid Snape. After the last of the students sat down Snape strode out of his office gliding around the classroom eyeing them all with disgust.

"There will be no foolish wand waving in this class, and there will be consequences for those who wish to mess around in this class" said Professor Snape.

Alex looked at Susan and smirked.

"Creepy" mouthed Alex mock shuddering.

"Most of you in here will not appreciate the subtle art of potion making, or the relevance for it in society, I can already see that some of you are not going to pass this subject due to your inability to pay attention" continued Professor Snape who was now glaring at Alex.

Alex looked at Snape who was glaring at him with pure hatred.

"Yes Professor" said Alex casually.

Snape walked up to him.

"Tell me Mr Black, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel and wormwood?" said Professor Snape.

"Asphodel and wormwood don't do anything when added together but are 2 of the main ingredients for the sleep potion Draught of Living Death" said Alex

"Another one then, where would I look if I wanted to find a bezoar?" said Professor Snape nastilly.

"Your store cupboard, or a goats stomach" said Alex.

"What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?" said Professor Snape even nastier.

"Monkshood and wolfsbane are the same plant also known as acconite" said Alex casually.

Snape glared at him once more.

"Well, why aren't you writing this down" said Snape.

They spent the rest of the lesson taking down notes and reading the first two chapters of A thousand magical herbs and fungi before the bell rang. Alex and Susan left the room quickly eager to avoid Snape who was still glaring at Alex.

8th September 1991

Harry and Joe were sat down on one of the settee's in the common room dressed in Gryffindor jumpers and jeans on a fairly chilly Sunday morning. Harry had his new Nimbus 2000 leaning on the arm of the settee.

"Where is she, we've been waiting for 10 minutes?" said Joe.

Harry looked at him smirking.

"Why, are you that anxious to carry her broom already?" said Harry.

Joe looked annoyed.

"No I don't want to carry her broom, but I'm bored of just sitting here" said Joe.

"Well sit no longer, she's here and ready for her personal maid" said Harry jokingly.

Joe grabbed him in a headlock and gave him a noogie as Katie walked into the common room wearing a green jumper and jeans holding her Cleansweep 5 in one hand.

"Are you two quite done, or do I need you to give you some more time to yourselves" said Katie in amusement causing the two to spring apart.

"Great now that your here we can go" said Joe getting up from the settee.

Katie smirked.

"Hold up Joseph, aren't you forgetting something?" said Katie sweetly.

Joe turned around to look at her as Harry stood up and picked up his broom.

"Catch" said Katie throwing her broom to him which he caught.

"Good boy, lets go" said Katie chuckling as she and Harry walked out of the common room followed by Joe carrying Katie's broom with an annoyed look on his face.

The three made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast before Harry and Katie would have their tryouts at 10 o'clock. After they sat down at the Gryffindor table Alex and Susan made their way over and joined them.

"You ready for today then?" said Alex grabbing two slices of toast.

"Yep" said Katie piling some scrambled eggs onto her plate.

"Ready as ever, you watching?" said Harry helping himself to an English breakfast.

"Yeah, the others are coming down as well" said Susan.

"Well, at least Gryffindor's new seeker will have his own exclusive audience" said Harry smirking.

"And lets not forget Gryffindor's new chaser" said Katie.

"Confident much?" said Alex.

"Always" said Harry.

"Well then, you best make that confidence count, I heard that sod Mclaggen from our year is also trying out" said Joe eating a slice of toast and jam.

Harry rolled his eyes while Katie snorted.

"The one that keeps going around saying he can do everything better than everyone else?" said Katie.

"The same, can't stand the bloke" said Joe.

"Well then, lets show him up once more" said Harry.

"Come on, lets finish eating then we can head down" said Alex.

The group finished their breakfast and set off for the quidditch pitch. While walking down they made small talk about how the school year was going so far and what classes Alex and Susan were enjoying most. Alex was enjoying DADA the most while Susan was enjoying Charms the most.

Once they reached the quidditch pitch Harry and Katie went off to the changing rooms while Joe, Alex and Susan went to sit in the stands. After ten minutes Harry and Katie emerged from the changing rooms and made their way over to where the rest of students trying out for the team were located. They were dressed in red and gold quidditch robes and leather padding covering their arms and chests.

"Right, first off I want you to fly 20 laps round the pitch, finishing first or last doesn't matter so off you go, when you get back, chasers try-outs will be first, followed by seekers tryouts" said Oliver.

Harry and Katie mounted their brooms and took off and started flying around the pitch.

After the laps Katie went to join the other chasers while Harry flew down to join the Weasley Twins who were watching Katie interchange passes with Alicia Spinnett before shooting at Wood who was covering his three posts.

After Katie's try-out had finished where she had managed to score 16 out of 20 shots Harry took to the sky along with and incredibly smug Cormac Mclaggen.

Wood flew over to them.

"All right, we're going to release the snitch in a few seconds, the first one of you to catch it will become our new seeker, our beaters will be up here as well hitting bludger's at you, make sure you avoid them because they have a hard swing and will try to knock you off your broom, so get ready" said Wood as he looked down to where Angelina Johnson was stood with the trunk containing all the equipment and nodded his head.

Angelina opened the trunk and released the bludger's and the snitch. Once the snitch had disappeared from sight Harry and Cormac sped off in search of it.

As Harry was having his try-out Daphne, Blaise and Tracey joined the others.

"Well it seems Potter is doing well" said Blaise.

"That he is, Katie outdid all the chaser try-outs as well, hopefully Harry can leave Cormac I'm the best at everything Mclaggen in the dirt as well" said Joe.

"Well it looks like he just might be" said Daphne.

The looked up to see Harry fly upwards catching the snitch when it was a mere five feet from Mclaggen's outstretched hand. They all gave a slight cheer causing Harry to turn and grin at them.

He flew back down to the ground where Katie, Wood and the rest of the team were stood.

"Well done Potter, your our new seeker, and Katie is the new chaser, training is at 8 o'clock every Saturday morning starting next week" said Wood.

Harry nodded and shook his hand before he and Katie exchanged a quick hug and walked back towards the changing rooms.

After the two changed and left the changing rooms they walked out onto the pitch where Alex, Susan, Joe, Daphne Blaise and Tracey were waiting for them.

"Congrats guys" said Susan.

"Yeah, that was easy, you should have seen the look on Mclaggens face when I caught that snitch, he looked like he was about to explode" said Harry.

The group laughed.

"Serves him right, maybe now the pompous git will stop acting like he's better than everyone else at everything" said Katie.

"He sounds like Malfoy" said Alex.

"Yeah, in some ways, but he isn't prejudiced or anything, just arrogant" said Joe.

"Thank god, we don't need Malfoy mark 2 especially one in the house of pussycats" said Tracey.

Daphne, Blaise, Alex and Susan all laughed.

"Now now Miss Davis, I would watch who you call pussycats, us pussycats are the social pariah's of Hogwarts" said Harry chuckling.

"Yeah and they label Slytherin's as dark wizards, every house has got their flaws" said Daphne.

"True, but thankfully some of us are not so blind" said Katie.

"Yeah, come on lets get back up to the castle, I don't fancy being outside the common when Longbottom forgets the password again, I swear that idiot has a memory like a fish" said Joe.

"He forgot the password already, we've only been here a week" said Blaise chuckling as they set off back towards the castle.

"Yeah Weasel forgot it as well, usually someone has to let them in, not to mention they constantly act like we're the only worthy house in Hogwarts, Godric himself would be ashamed, gobby little sods" said Harry.

"And of course Dumbledore himself lets them get away with everything, you saw that in the Great Hall the other day" said Joe.

"Why am I not surprised, Dumbledore sees him as the next coming of Merlin" said Alex.

"Yeah, bet his dad's been teaching him spells as well, he's one of the top students in DADA, that Granger girl in your house is the only one who tops him" said Daphne.

"Shame the same can't be said about the Weasel though, complete opposite, can't cast a spell to save his life, still can't cast the disarming spell after 3 hours of DADA" said Tracey.

"Why am I not surprised, all bark and no bite from that pig of a boy" said Katie.

"Well, if he's not careful someone will challenge him to a duel, merlin help him if they do" said Alex.

"Yeah, he also had a massive overreaction to Mcgonagall's transformation, I mean every pureblood and halfblood knows about that and are never surprised, its usually only the muggleborns who are surprised" said Susan.

"Still, what happened in the second potions lesson has to be the best" said Daphne.

"Why, what happened?" said Alex.

"Him and Longbottom blew up their cauldron brewing a boil cure potion, showered them both in it not too mention Snape docked them 50 points" said Tracey.

Harry, Alex, Joe, Katie and Susan all laughed.

"God, I'd be surprised if dear old Snivellus lets them near a cauldron again after that" said Harry.

"Oh he will, I think it amused him to see two lions fail" said Blaise.

The group arrived back at the castle.

"Well this is where we leave you juniors, got a Halloween prank for Snivellus to plan, might include a few others in it as well" said Joe.

The others minus Harry and Katie looked at him with interest.

"Do tell" said Tracey.

"Ah but that's a secret Trace, but trust us when we say, you'll enjoy it immensely" said Katie.

"I'm sure we will, but we'll see you later" said Alex wrapping his arm around Susan's shoulders.

"Ah the lovebirds want some time to themselves" said Harry jokingly.

"Aye we do Potter, when you get a girl of your own you'll understand" said Susan.

The others laughed.

"Touche Miss Bones" said Harry smirking.

Alex and Susan left them.

"She got you there Harry" said Katie.

"Shut up" said Harry.

The others laughed.

"Well, we're gonna get off, see you guys at dinner, do us a favour, sit near Malfoy, I've got a little prank planned for him" said Joe.

"What exactly have you got planned?" said Blaise.

"You'll find out at dinner" said Joe.

"See you guys later" said Katie.

"We'll see you at dinner" said Harry.

Harry, Joe and Katie left them.

Alex and Susan were walking arm in arm through the courtyard.

"God, I haven't seen anyone match Harry wit for wit for ages" said Alex laughing slightly.

"Never underestimate a Bones hon, quick wit and sharp tongue is what we do best" said Susan smirking.

"Only quick wit and sharp tongue, so there's nothing else special about Bones family members" said Alex.

"You tell me, what else is special about me?" said Susan.

Alex laughed.

"Well the hereditary red hair is hard to miss" said Alex.

"Oi you little scoundrel" said Susan playfully punching his chest.

"You know I'm just kidding Sue, I couldn't ask for a better girl, contracted or not" said Alex.

Susan blushed.

"Jelly legs" shouted a voice from behind them.

Alex and Susan separated leaping to the side and quickly drew their wands.

Neville and Ron were stood behind them with their wands pointed at them.

"Expelliarmus" shouted Alex.

Neville's wand shot out of his hand to his surprise and dropped to the floor.

Ron prepared to cast a spell.

"Expelliarmus" said Susan disarming Ron.

"Well, well, well, I thought daddy taught you better than that Longbottom, attacking the heirs to two Most Noble and Ancient houses without provocation, not the smartest choice now is it" said Susan.

Neville and Ron moved to pick up their wands.

"And don't think about going for those wands boys, you'll be hexed before you reach them" said Alex.

Neville and Ron stopped moving.

"Now then, what to do about you" said Alex.

"You can't do anything, I am the boy who lived, you'll be in a lot of trouble" said Neville.

Alex and Susan laughed.

"What, you gonna run to mummy and daddy for help, or Dumbledore, what do you think they're going to do, they won't be able to do anything" said Susan.

"Shut up you stupid duffer, we all know Hufflepuff is just for the thick rejects not good enough for other houses" said Ron.

Susan was taken aback.

"And everyone knows that if that was true, then that would be the perfect house for you, what was it you did in potions, blew up a cauldron while brewing one of the most simple potions in the world" said Alex.

"I feel for the whole of Gryffindor house, having to share Gryffindor tower with a lazy bigoted little pig, we all saw you at the opening feast, what happened, mummy never teach you how to eat properly?" said Susan.

Alex and Susan laughed as Ron's ears turned red.

"Now then, about that unwarranted attack, I believe this is a suitable punishment, Evanesco" said Alex waving his wand at Neville.

All of Neville's clothes minus his underwear vanished causing Neville to yelp in shock.

Alex quickly repeated the process with Ron causing the same effect.

"Oh dear boys, a little underdressed aren't you, you better get back to your common room to sort yourselves out" said Alex mockingly.

The two picked up their wands and ran off towards Gryffindor Tower.

Alex and Susan laughed.

"Nice one hon" said Susan giving him a peck on the cheek

Alex blushed lightly and smiled.

"Come on lets have a look round the castle" said Alex.

"Lead the way" said Susan.

The two carried on walking.

Harry, Joe and Katie arrived back in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"All right Joe, what's this prank of yours?" said Katie.

"I'll tell you up in my dorm room" said Joe.

"This got anything to do with that parcel you got yesterday?" said Harry.

"Yes, but I'll explain upstairs, come on" said Joe.

The three walked up the stairs and into the second year boys dorm.

Harry and Katie sat down on Joe's bed while Joe opened his trunk and pulled a small fist sized package out of it.

He opened the package and pulled out two crystal phials containing a bronze coloured potion and a steel coloured potion.

"Colour changing potion, one phial is enough to change all the hair on your body to a specific colour" said Joe holding up the bronze coloured potion.

Harry and Katie laughed slightly.

"I see where your going with this, what's the other one?" said Harry.

"Hair growth potion, this ones powerful enough to cause lots of hair to grow all over his body" said Joe.

Harry and Katie burst out laughing.

"Merlin, I can't wait to see his reaction when this turns him into a human weasel" said Katie.

"Priceless, I wish I had my camera" said Harry.

"I got mine" said Joe.

"Only one problem though, how exactly are you going to get this into his drink without someone noticing?" said Katie.

"Disillusionment charm, my mother showed me the basics of it over the summer" said Joe.

"How good are you at casting it?" said Harry.

"Good enough, though I can't get it to last more than 5 minutes at the moment" said Joe.

"Well if you cast it on me, I'll give him his potions" said Katie.

"Well, well, well Miss Bell, I didn't realise you had a pranksters streak in you" said Joe.

"Right little minx, as fierce as a dragon" said Harry.

"And don't you forget it" said Katie.

"How many have you got of each phial?" said Harry.

"I've got two of each, why who else you got in mind?" said Joe.

"Longbottom, and we'll put the laughing solution in Weasley's drink as well, make him try and stop laughing at his hero" said Harry.

The three laughed and continued planning their prank.

 _Later that night..._

Harry, Joe and Katie watched Malfoy, Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle enter the Great Hall.

Harry looked towards the Slytherin table to see the four sitting near the main doors.

The three moved over to the wall in the corner behind one of the torches.

"All right, they're sat down, Longbottom and Weasley are already sat down, they're some empty seats near them so we can get a front row seat to our brilliant work" said Joe.

Harry and Katie smirked.

"All right hand us the stuff then put us under the charm" said Katie.

Joe handed the potions to Harry and Katie and pulled out his wand.

He held the wand over Katie's head and concentrated.

"Disillusions" said Joe tapping her on the head with his wand.

Katie felt like someone had cracked an egg on her head and its contents were trickling down her face.

"Wow, it worked, she's blended into the wall" said Harry.

"Brilliant, all right your turn Harry" said Joe.

Joe repeated the process with Harry with the same success.

The two walked away into the Great Hall.

Just after they had left Joe heard footprints approaching him. He turned to see Alex, Susan, Daphne, Tracey and Blaise approaching him.

"Hey guys you might wanna go sit down, Harry and Katie are just doing the final stages of the prank now" said Joe.

"Yeah Daphne told us you guys had something planned" said Alex.

"Trust me, you won't wanna miss this, I'll be through in a minute, I've gotta wait for those two to come back first" said Joe.

"All right we'll see you inside" said Susan.

They all left Joe and made their way into the Great Hall. Barely a minute later he heard Harry's voice.

"Joe, we're right next to you, remove the charm"

Joe turned and saw the faint outline of Harry moving next to him. He tapped his wand on Harry's head and cancelled the charm. Harry slowly faded back into focus while he found Katie and repeated the process.

"Come on, I don't wanna miss this" said Harry.

The three walked into the Great Hall and sat down as close to Neville and Ron as they could get.

They helped themselves to food trying not to laugh as Neville and Ron drank eagerly from their goblets.

A few minutes later they heard a high pitched girlish scream coming from the Slytherin table followed by laughter from around the Great Hall.

Draco Malfoy stood up screaming as his blonde hair had turned ginger and grown down to his shoulders and ginger hair began protruding all over his body causing him to resemble a weasel.

Draco ran out of the Great Hall followed by Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle. Joe quickly got out his camera and snapped a few pictures of Draco.

While Neville was laughing the potion kicked in causing all of the Gryffindor table to laugh at him including Ron who was straining to stop laughing. Joe turned his camera on Neville and took some more pictures as Neville and Ron rose to their feet with Neville shouting at Ron to stop laughing.

The two ran out of the Great Hall causing Dumbledore to rise to his feet.

"SILENCE!" shouted Dumbledore causing the Great Hall to fall silent.

"Kreacher" whispered Harry.

Kreacher appeared under the table.

Joe handed the camera to Kreacher who then disapparated.

"As amusing as this prank was, myself and the teachers will find who is responsible and they will be punished appropriately" said Dumbledore sternly.

Harry, Joe and Katie smirked.

"Now, finish your dinner, then back to your dormitories" said Dumbledore sitting down.

Everyone in the Great Hall resumed eating.

Harry gave Joe and Katie a high five.

"Nice one Joe" whispered Harry.

"You turned them into twins" said Katie giggling.

"That we did Katherine, that we did" said Joe smirking.

Harry and Katie laughed.

Alex and Susan were sat with Hannah and Sally-Anne at the Hufflepuff table.

"Nice one Harry, Mum and Dad will be laughing their heads off when he tells them" said Alex to Susan.

"Harry did that" said Hannah.

"Yeah, him, Joe and Katie" said Susan.

"Why did they do that, I mean what did Malfoy and Neville do to them?" said Sally-Anne.

"They're both arrogant little boys who needed to be taught a lesson Sally" said Hannah.

"Oh right" said Sally-Anne not convinced.

After everyone had finished their meals they returned to their common rooms where they talked and joked about the prank long into the night. Neville and Ron didn't return to Gryffindor tower till late into the night both completely cured and in a foul mood.

The next day at breakfast Harry received a letter.

 _Dear Heir Potter_

 _I am writing to you to tell you that we have been working on locating all of the missing items from your vaults and returning them to you at our standard rate. While we have located and returned all of the items we have located the last one but have not been able to retrieve it. Ignotus Peverell's cloak of invisibility which was lent to Albus Dumbledore by your Father. He denies having it but we know he is lying, we goblins know better than to trust him._

 _We have attached a list of all the items recovered and the vaults we returned them too._

 _Yours sincerely_

 _Nordog_

 _House Potter Account Manager_

Harry folded the letter and unfolded the parchment that was included.

 _Potter vault '320'_

 _Advanced Battle Transfiguration by Henry William Potter_

 _Potter Healing Spells by Eleanor Elizabeth Potter_

 _2 million galleons (withdrawn by Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore)_

 _James Potter's vault '563'_

 _An Expert Guide to Annimagi by James Charles Potter_

 _1 million galleons (withdrawn by Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore)_

 _Peverell Family vault '200'_

 _Artorius Peverell's enchanted longsword_

Harry folded the parchment and placed it in his pocket along with the letter. He turned to look at Dumbledore.

"Your net gonna get off easy for this Dumbledore" thought Harry.


	6. Chapter 6

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

13th September 1991

Harry was walking towards the gargoyle statue concealing the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

Straight after receiving the letter he had sent a copy of the letter to Andromeda who agreed to come and meet Dumbledore along with Harry.

He had approached Dumbledore this morning asking for a private meeting with the Headmaster. Dumbledore reluctantly agreed after Harry said that it was private Potter family business.

Harry reached the statue.

"Sugar quills" said Harry.

The statue clicked and started rotating to the left and upwards revealing a staircase leading up to Dumbledore's office.

Harry walked up the staircase until he reached an old oak door with a brass knocker on the front.

He used the knocker three times causing the door to open slowly.

He entered the office.

It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. A number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames. There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk, and, sitting on a shelf behind it, a shabby, tainted wizard's hat — the Sorting Hat _._

 **A/N: Extract taken from Harry Potter Wikia**

Dumbledore was sat in the chair at his desk watching Harry with intent.

"Harry my boy, what can I do for you" said Dumbledore in his usual grandfather tone.

Harry walked up to him.

"That's Heir Potter to you Headmaster, I am not your boy" said Harry sternly.

"Very well, I meant no offence, how can I help you today" said Dumbledore.

Harry gently threw his Gringotts letter towards Dumbledore.

Dumbledore picked it up and unfolded it.

"Also my solicitor will be joining us in a few moments, she already has the password for the office so she will be making her own way up here, and for your sake I hope you have a very good explanation for your actions Dumbledore" said Harry.

Dumbledore was scowling slightly while reading the letter.

"I can explain" said Dumbledore as the door opened once more.

Andromeda Tonks was 38 years old with long brown hair. She was dressed in black robes with the Black crest on the left breast.

"I hope you can Dumbledore, stealing 3 million galleons and family heirlooms is a very serious offence" said Andromeda in a deadly serious voice.

"Harry, your Father lent me the cloak shortly before his death when I asked to study it, as for the galleons, they were donated to the Order Of The Phoenix to fund our war against Voldemort, your Father authorized those transactions" said Dumbledore.

"So you say, you have no proof of that, but interesting enough, 1 million galleons from his personal vault was withdrawn by you 8 years ago, while my parents were killed 10 years ago, would you care to explain that?" said Harry.

"And as for James lending you the invisibility cloak, you should've returned it after his death, as it was not yours to keep regardless of favours or promises made to you by James Potter" said Andromeda.

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you what those galleons were used for, it is a private matter" said Dumbledore sternly.

Harry and Andromeda looked at each other.

"You can't or you won't" said Harry.

Dumbledore stayed silent.

"Very well, Gringotts will be notified of your refusal to explain your reasons behind the theft, the cloak and 3 million galleons will be automatically seized from your vaults, regardless of whether you have them or not" said Andromeda.

Dumbledore looked shocked.

"You object to this, we could always take it to the Wizergamot" said Harry.

"Harry, don't do this, your parents wouldn't have done this, they would see reason" said Dumbledore.

"Would they, I don't think so, Kreacher" said Harry sternly.

Kreacher apparated next to Harry and Andromeda.

"Heir Potter, Mistress Black" said Kreacher managing a small smile at Andromeda.

"Kreacher, please deliver this letter to the Potter account manager Nordog immediately" said Andromeda removing a letter from her pocket and handing it to him.

Kreacher bowed his head and disapparated.

"That will be all Dumbledore, good day, you should be grateful that my client has decided not to file charges against you for theft" said Andromeda.

Harry smirked at Dumbledore before picking up the letter and leaving the office with Andromeda.

Dumbledore swept the items off of his desk in anger once the two had left the room.

Once they reached the bottom of the stairs Andromeda turned to Harry.

"You enjoyed that didn't you" said Andromeda.

"Very much" said Harry.

"Shame we didn't file charges against him though" said Andromeda.

"Its fine, he'd just talk his way out of it anyway, bringing that manipulative old man down a peg or two will do" said Harry.

"We'll have Kreacher check the cloak for charms and jinxes before sending it to you, who knows what Dumbledore did to the cloak" said Andromeda.

Harry nodded and wrapped his arms around her.

Andromeda returned the hug.

"Look after yourself Harry, you and your friends" said Andromeda.

"Your leaving?" said Harry.

"Yes, I need to get to Gringotts to make sure everything is in order" said Andromeda.

"Do you want me to walk you down to the Great Hall?" said Harry.

"No its fine, you go back to Gryffindor Tower" said Andromeda smiling.

Harry nodded.

"Goodbye Aunt Andi" said Harry giving her another hug.

"Goodbye Harry, give Alex my love as well" said Andromeda returning the hug for a few seconds before walking away.

Harry watched her walk away before heading back to Gryffindor Tower.

After entering the common room he saw Joe and Katie sat at one of the desks doing their homework. He went over and sat next to them opening his bag retrieving some parchment, ink and a quill.

"Making a start on Potions homework?" said Harry.

"About halfway through it, though its hard to find enough reasons to use flobberworm blood in potions to write 8 inches of parchment is difficult" said Joe.

"Well, lets get these finished, I've got some good news" said Harry.

"What news?" said Katie.

"I'll tell you in private" said Harry.

"Well, lets not waste any time then" said Katie.

The three worked through their potions homework with Katie helping Harry complete his after she finished hers.

After completing their homework they headed up to Harry and Joe's room and sat down on Joe's bed.

"You know that letter I got at breakfast on Monday" said Harry.

"Yeah, that one you said was from Gringotts" said Katie.

"Yeah that's the one, well it told me of all the missing items from my vaults, well there were some interesting things it it" said Harry.

"Interesting things?" said Joe in confusion.

"Take a look" said Harry taking the letter out of his bag.

Joe took it so he and Katie could read it together. They read both parts of the letter before handing it back to Harry.

"Manipulative old bastard, stealing money from a dead man's personal vault, can he sink any lower" said Joe.

"Not too mention stealing from the Potter family vault, that's low" said Katie.

"Yeah, me and my Aunt Andromeda sorted it out though" said Harry.

"How, cos knowing Dumbledore, he will have tried to talk his way out of it" said Joe.

"Oh he tried, but Aunt Andi doesn't roll over for anyone, trust me" said Harry.

Harry spent the next twenty minutes telling them exactly what happened in Dumbledore's office.

"So you got your invisibility cloak back along with the 3 million galleons he stole?" said Katie.

"Yeah, as we were walking down the stairs we heard a crash come from his office so what we did must have really angered him" said Harry.

"Good, its about time someone beat him at his own game, he needs to discover he can't manipulate everyone" said Joe.

"Yeah, he looked defeated when he realised he couldn't get out of this, lucky for him we're not taking this to the Wizergamot, then he would be in trouble" said Harry.

"Lucky him" said Joe sarcastically.

"So when do we get to see your invisibility cloak then Harry?" said Katie.

"In the next few days hopefully, Sirius is checking it for charms and jinxes, who knows what Dumbledore might have put on it" said Harry.

"Nice, at least we'll have it in time for Snape's Halloween prank" said Joe.

"Yeah, we still need to discuss what we're doing for that, since we used the hair growth potion already we need something new" said Katie.

Suddenly the door opened.

The Weasley Twins and Lee Jordan walked into the room.

"Look here Forge, three second years planning to what?" said Fred.

"Planning to prank our dear potions master Gred" said George.

"That they were" said Lee.

Harry, Joe and Katie looked at each other.

"How much did you hear?" said Joe.

"About wanting to prank Snape, and about some sort of hair growth potion" said Fred.

"Which can only mean you three were the ones who pulled the prank on Malfoy and Longbottom" said George.

"Don't forget your Brother, laughing solution works wonders" said Harry.

"So that's why he was trying so hard to stop laughing, that went on for hours, how much did you give him?" said Lee.

"4 phials" said Katie.

The Twins and Lee burst out laughing.

"So pranking Snape, you three want in" said Katie with a wicked grin.

"Well, pranking Snape would be brilliant, a bit low key though" said George.

"A bit amateur, however if one was to suggest pranking the entire faculty, that would be better" said Fred.

"And how do you suppose we do that?" said Joe.

"Well, that's what we're going to figure out, aren't we?" said George.

Harry, Joe and Katie looked at each other and nodded.

"You got yourselves a deal, so lets get started" said Harry.

The six sat and discussed plans for their prank before heading to bed.

A few days later Harry and Joe entered their room late in the evening to find a wrapped square package on Harry's bed.

Harry picked it up and unwrapped it.

The package was a large dark grey cloak much larger than Harry. There was also a note included with the cloak.

 _Hey pup_

 _We checked the cloak for charms and jinxes finding quite a few. There was a tracking charm and a built in unbreakable charm on it. We removed the tracking charm from it before giving it to Kreacher to send to you._

 _Use it well._

 _Lots of love_

 _Sirius and Marlene._

"Well go on then, try it on" said Joe sitting down on his bed.

Harry unfolded it and wrapped it around his shoulders.

Joe gasped.

Harry looked down. His entire body below his neck was invisible leaving just his head floating in mid air.

"Impressive, you reckon you can get both of us under there" said Joe.

"It's big enough to fit three people, why what are you thinking?" said Harry.

"Fancy a late night raid on the kitchens again, at least this time we can hide from Filch" said Joe.

"Come on then, if Katie's in the common room we'll get her to come along as well" said Harry.

Harry tucked the invisibility cloak under his robe and the two left their room. Upon noticing Katie was not in the common room they left the tower heading for the kitchens. After receiving plenty of sweets and cakes from the kitchens they headed back to Gryffindor Tower noticing an unsuspecting Filch on the way. Joe pulled out his wand and pointed it towards Filch.

"Tarrantallegra" whispered Joe.

A small white light sped towards Filch causing his feet to start dancing uncontrollably.

Filch shouted and tumbled to the floor his legs still dancing.

Harry and Joe laughed before heading back to Gryffindor Tower.

"I know your there, when I catch you you'll be whipped raw" shouted Filch in anger.

The boys laughed all the way up to their room before hiding the cloak in Harry's trunk and going to bed.

They told Katie about the invisibility cloak in private the next day.

31st October 1991

Alex was sat next to Anthony Goldstein in their Charms lesson shared with Gryffindor.

"Today we will be practising a new spell, the levitation charm, now I will explain the spell to you before you will practice it yourselves" said Professor Flitwick.

Flitwick pulled out his wand.

"Now this wand movement is one of the more delicate and precise ones, swish and flick, like so" said Flitwick demonstrating the wand movement to them.

"Now you try" continued Flitwick.

The entire class practised the movement before Flitwick told them to stop.

"Good, now for the incantation, wingardium leviosa, you have to draw out the gar and sa while your saying the incantation, really focus your magic into this or you won't be able to cast the spell, now try and levitate your feathers" said Flitwick.

Alex pointed his wand at the feather.

"Wingardium leviosa" said Alex performing the wand movement.

The feather rose 6 inches into the air before softly falling back onto the desk.

"Well done Mr Black, but keep your concentration up next time, 10 points to Ravenclaw" said Flitwick.

Alex nodded at him and tried again this time managing to keep his concentration up and floating his feather a few feet into the air. As he was doing this he heard voices coming from his right.

"You do it then if your so clever, go on, go on" said Ron bitterly to the bushy haired Hermione Granger.

Hermione huffed.

She performed the spell successfully floating the feather a good ten feet into the air.

"Well done Miss Granger, 5 points to Gryffindor" squeaked Flitwick.

Ron groaned and folded his arms in annoyance.

They spent the rest of the class practising the spell with no one apart from Alex and Hermione managing to cast it successfully.

As Harry, Joe and Katie were walking across the courtyard they spotted Neville, Ron, Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas walking together and managed to hear Ron bad mouthing someone.

"She's a nightmare honestly, no wonder she hasn't got any friends" said Ron snidely.

The three saw Hermione barge past him speeding away with tears in her eyes.

"That was going too far Ron" said Neville.

"So" said Ron.

Katie turned to Harry and Joe.

"I'll see you guys in a bit" said Katie.

Joe nodded understanding what she was going to do.

"Okay, we'll tell Flitwick why you're gone" said Joe.

Katie walked off in the direction Hermione went.

Harry and Joe walked up to Neville, Ron, Seamus and Dean.

"Oi Weasley" said Joe.

The four turned to look at Harry and Joe.

"What do you two want?" said Ron snidely.

"Have you got a problem with Miss Granger, Weasley, we heard what you said about her, is that how you treat your fellow housemates?" said Harry.

Neville, Seamus and Dean kept quiet.

"She's a nightmare, always showing off, being bossy, she must have realised that's why she's got no friends" said Ron.

"Ron shut up" said Neville nervously.

"So you bad mouth her behind her back, that's low, when we're all back in Gryffindor Tower tonight, your going to apologise to her in front of the entire house" said Joe angrily.

Ron spluttered.

"Its not up for debate Weasley, you're apologizing to her, the same goes for you 3 as well" said Harry as he and Joe left them.

The two walked into Professor Flitwick's classroom.

Professor Flitwick looked up at them from his desk.

"You're early boys, but could you wait outside until I am ready for you to come in please" said Flitwick looking back at the work on his desk.

The two walked up to him.

"Actually Professor, we're here to discuss an incident that happened a few minutes ago in the courtyard" said Harry.

Professor Flitwick looked up at them with interest.

"What incident?" said Flitwick.

"Between Miss Granger and Mr Weasley, I think it is because something happened between them in their charms lesson, he was saying some very nasty things about her causing her to run off upset, Katie's gone after her to make sure she's okay but we don't know how long she'll be gone" said Joe.

Professor Flitwick looked at them and nodded.

"Yes, I believe Mr Weasley was jealous that Miss Granger could perform the levitation charm and he couldn't, I will speak to Professor Mcgonagall about this, you 2 may as well sit down I'll let the rest of the class in now" said Flitwick.

Harry and Joe nodded at him before taking their seats.

Katie turned up twenty minutes into the lesson. She told Harry and Joe that Hermione was still upset and was refusing to leave the girls bathroom.

Harry, Joe and Katie met up with the Weasley Twins and Lee Jordan outside the Great Hall during the last usual scheduled lessons of the day, Harry, Joe and Katie had a free period while Fred, George and Lee skipped their History Of Magic lesson.

"You guys got everything" said Katie.

"Yeah, we even got a little something extra as well, check this out" said George taking a dark purple bottle out of his bag and handing it to Joe.

Harry took one look at it and looked at the twins in shock.

"Where did you get Amortenia?" said Harry.

"Secret, but we thought it would make a nice treat for Snape" said Lee.

"Yeah, we put some of Percy's hair in it as well so its keyed to him, with any luck Snape will be chasing Percy all night" said Fred.

The other three laughed.

"What else have we got then?" said Joe.

They got all the different potions out of their bag. The potions they had were skin changing potions, temporary hair removal potion, vomit inducing potion, animal limb potions and singing potions.

"Which ones then?" said Harry.

"Well we could us them all except that vomit one, not sure people would want to eat if someone's vomiting all over the staff table, not really fussed about that singing one either, we can save that" said Lee.

"All right then, lets get to work" said Joe.

Joe cast the disillusionment charm on the others before putting Harry's invisibility cloak on so none of them would be seen by any of the ghosts or staff entering the Great Hall.

Once they had poured the potions into the goblets on the staff table they made their way out of the Great Hall and back to their meeting place. Joe removed the invisibility cloak before finding the others and removing the charms from them. He handed Harry his invisibility cloak back before they set off for Gryffindor Tower.

When Harry, Joe and Katie arrived in the Great Hall after the rest of the Gryffindor's noticing that Hermione was not there causing Katie to frown and glare at Ron before they took their seats.

They started eating noticing that the teachers all taking drinks from their goblets bar Professor Quirrell who still hadn't arrived in the Hall. A few minutes later they heard gasps and laughter from all around the Great Hall.

All of Dumbledore's hair and beard fell from his head and onto his plate. Mcgonagall's hands turned into cat paws and she had grown a large furry cat tail from behind her back. Sprouts and Flitwick's skin began rapidly changing colours to different colours every few seconds. Sinastra sprouted raven wings from her back and a large orange beak where her mouth was. Snape to everyone's amusement stood up from the table and started gliding towards where Percy was sat down.

"Oh Percival, come here my love, I love you with all my heart my beautiful little lion" said Snape in a sweet melodic voice.

Percy stood up and quickly started walking away from Snape.

"SILENCE!" shouted Dumbledore causing everyone to look at him.

"Whoever is responsible for this will be in detention for the rest of the-" shouted Dumbledore but was cut off when the doors of the Great Hall burst open.

"Troll in the dungeons, there's a troll in the dungeons, a troll in the dungeons" screamed Professor Quirrell coming to a halt in the middle of the hall.

Everyone looked at him.

"Thought you ought to know" said Quirrell before he fainted falling forwards to the floor.

Suddenly the Great Hall descended into panic and hysteria.

"SILENCE!" shouted Dumbledore.

The noise stopped flat as everyone turned to look at Dumbledore.

"Everyone must please, not panic" said Dumbledore sternly.

"Now, prefects lead their houses back to the dormitories, teachers will follow me to the dungeons, and Severus leave Mr Weasley alone and go with Madam Pomfrey to get yourself sorted out" said Dumbledore.

Harry and the rest of Gryffindor house left the Great Hall following Percy before Katie stopped them outside the Great Hall doors.

"Guys, Hermione might still be down there" said Katie.

"Come on" said Harry as the three ran off towards the dungeons.

As they neared the entrance to the bathrooms they heard a girlish scream and ran through the door.

Hermione was crouched in the corner under one of the sinks as a large 30 foot green troll was swinging its wooden club around destroying the bathroom.

"Oy, ugly, leave her alone" shouted Katie whipping out her wand.

The troll turned to look at them and raised its club.

"Wingardium leviosa" shouted Katie casting her spell at the troll's club causing it to fly from his hand and suspending it in the air.

The troll looked at its now clubless hand in confusion before looking up as Katie released the spell dropping the club on its head.

The troll swayed from side to side before falling flat on its face.

Harry ran over to a shaking and distraught Hermione helping her to her feet.

"Your safe now, come one lets get you out of here" said Harry.

Katie put her arm around the shaking girl and led her out of the bathroom. Harry and Joe followed them back up to Gryffindor Tower where they took her up to Harry and Joe's room locking the door.

"It's all right, Hermione, it's all right, your safe now, try to relax" said Katie.

"Kreacher" said Harry.

Kreacher appeared next to Harry.

"Fetch a bottle of calming drought from home and some chocolate" said Harry sternly.

Kreacher grumbled before disapparating.

He returned 30 seconds later with a bottle and a bar of honeydukes chocolate.

Harry took the stuff from him as he and Joe made their way over to Hermione and Katie.

"Have a swig of this, it will help" said Harry holding the potion towards her.

Hermione shook her head.

"It's just calming drought Miss Granger, it will make you feel better" said Joe.

"Go on Hermione" said Katie.

Hermione gingerly took it from Harry and took a swig of it coughing and spluttering at the taste. The potion did its work and Hermione stopped shaking and crying.

Harry held out the chocolate to her which she took when there was a knock at the door. Joe stood up and went over to the door unlocking and opening it to the sight of an extremely worried Professor Mcgonagall who still had her cat paws and tail.

Joe moved aside so she could enter the room where she made her way over to Hermione.

"Miss Brown and Miss Patil told me you brought Miss Granger back and that she was in a terrible state, what happened?" said Mcgonagall.

Harry and Joe told her the full story about what happened before their charms lesson leading up to when they arrived back at Gryffindor Tower.

"You should've informed one of us where Miss Granger was, instead of rushing to save her yourselves" said Mcgonagall.

"We should've done yes, but when we realised there were no teachers in sight" said Katie.

Mcgonagall nodded.

"Nevertheless, 50 points each to you three for saving a fellow student, also Professor Flitwick has informed me of your discussion with him before his class, Mr Wealsey will be suitably punished for his behaviour, though judging by his mood and his demeanor when I saw him downstairs he regrets what he has done" said Mcgonagall.

Harry and Joe nodded.

"Food is being sent up from the kitchens to the common room since we all missed the feast, I'll arrange for some to be sent up here though if you would prefer that" said Mcgonagall.

"That would be preferable Professor, thank you" said Katie.

Mcgonagall nodded and called for a house elf to bring them some food and drinks before leaving the room.

The four of them ate together before Katie took Hermione back to her room.


	7. Chapter 7

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

1st November 1991

Harry groaned as he woke up. He was still feeling slightly tired after staying up until midnight following last nights events.

He sat up on his bed and looked towards where Joe was sleeping face down with his right hand hanging off the side of the bed clutching a now empty box of jelly slugs.

Harry then turned his head to look at the empty bed where their other room mate Cormac Mclaggen was supposed to be sleeping but had already woken up and gone downstairs.

He pushed some empty chocolate frog packets off his bedside table and picked up his wand.

"Tempus" said Harry groggily.

The time was 7:35 am.

Harry got up out of bed and walked over to Joe's bed shaking him slightly.

Joe slowly opened his eyes.

"What time is it?" said Joe sounding tired.

"25 to 8, come on we need to get ready, we need to make sure Weasley apologises to Hermione before going down to breakfast remember" said Harry walking over to his trunk to retrieve his towel and some clothes for the day.

Joe immediately followed suit and the two went to get ready for the day.

Once they were ready they made their way downstairs into the common room which was nearly full of most of the Gryffindor students. Hermione was dressed in a red jumper and black skirt and was sat on one of the settee's with 2 first year girls Harry recognised as Parvati Patil and Lavander Brown as well as Katie who was sat on the arm of the settee next to the brown haired Lavander.

Parvati had light brown skin with long black hair and was dressed in a black cardigan and jeans.

Lavander had curly brown hair and was dressed in a pink jumper and jeans.

Katie stood up and walked over to Harry and Joe dressed in a blue long sleeved shirt and jeans.

"Have they come down yet?" said Harry.

Katie shook her head.

"No not yet, I hope they haven't gone down to breakfast already" said Katie.

"They won't have done, everyone in this house knows what Ron did yesterday, they wouldn't have let him leave until he apologised" said Joe.

"Here he is now" said Harry nodding towards the boys staircase.

A dejected and worn out Ron walked downstairs followed closely by Neville, Dean and Seamus who like Ron looked upset.

They caught sight of Harry, Joe and Katie and slowly made their way over to them.

Harry and Joe stepped aside so the four could make their way over to Hermione who looked up to see them.

Harry, Joe and Katie turned to look at them as did the rest of the students in the common room.

Shortly before Ron was about to speak the portrait door opened and Professor Mcgonagall walked in dressed in her usual green witch robes and hat.

She stood near the entrance looking at Ron with a serious look on her face.

Ron nodded and turned back to Hermione.

"Hermione, I'm really sorry about yesterday, I said some nasty things about you when I know you we're only trying to help me in Charms, its my fault you ended up in the bathroom with that troll, if I hadn't been so nasty then you would never have been in that situation" said Ron regretfully.

Hermione managed a small smile.

"I'm sorry too Hermione" said Neville.

"Me too" said Dean.

"Sorry Hermione" said Seamus.

Hermione looked at them and smiled slightly.

"Could we start over, as friends?" said Neville.

Hermione nodded.

She stood up and hugged all four of them.

Harry smiled.

"Well, it seems like he might have finally grown up a bit" said Katie.

"You know what, I think your right Katie" said Harry.

Professor Mcgonagall walked up to Ron.

"Well Mr Weasley, I'm very proud of you for admitting your mistakes like that, but I'm afraid your actions yesterday cannot go unpunished" said Mcgonagall.

Ron nodded.

"20 points from Gryffindor and a weeks detention with me starting tonight, you three will be let off with a warning, use this as a lesson for the future when you're thinking about doing what Mr Weasley did" said Mcgonagall.

Neville, Dean and Seamus nodded.

Mcgonagall turned to address the house.

"I shouldn't have to remind you that Gryffindor House should be like your family while you are here, you should all be looking after each other, hopefully I will never have to explain this to you ever again, because if I do there will be serious consequences if something like this happens again, now make your way down to breakfast" said Mcgonagall turning and leaving the room.

Harry, Joe and Katie walked out of the common room and headed down to the Great Hall.

Alex and Susan walked into the Great Hall and made their way over to the Ravenclaw table.

They sat down with Alex making himself an English breakfast and Susan making some jam on toast. As they were doing this Daphne, Tracey and Blaise made their way over to them and sat down.

"Hey guys" said Susan.

"Morning, seems like everything is back to normal after last night" said Daphne.

"Yeah, wonder who let that troll into the castle in the first place, someone could've been killed" said Alex.

"Who knows, where would they even get a troll from in the first place" said Tracey.

"Well one things for certain, it couldn't have been a student" said Blaise.

"Are you saying one of the teachers did it?" said Susan.

"Maybe, all we know is that it couldn't have been a student" said Daphne.

"Which teacher would do something like that though?" said Alex.

"I don't know, but we'll have to keep an eye out for anything suspicious" said Tracey.

"I think I better write to Auntie about this" said Susan.

"I think you should" said Alex.

"Yeah, cos that was one mean troll" said a female voice from behind them.

They turned around to see Harry, Joe and Katie stood behind them.

Daphne and Blaise moved closer together to make some space for the three to sit down.

"What do you mean by that?" said Tracey.

"Long story" said Joe.

Alex looked at them with a serious stare.

"You guys went after it didn't you?" said Alex.

"Yeah, the damn thing had that Hermione girl cornered in the girl's bathroom, no teachers in sight" said Harry.

"I'm guessing she was hiding in the bathroom after what happened in Charms yesterday" said Alex.

"Why what happened?" said Daphne.

"Weasel got really jealous about Hermione doing the work when he couldn't" said Alex.

"Yeah, she overheard him badmouth her after the lesson and ran off crying" said Katie.

"Mcgonagall and all of Gryffindor house made him apologise to her in the common room this morning, not too mention he lost points and ended up in detention for a week" said Harry.

"Serves him right" said Susan.

"Yeah, though by his reaction last night and this morning he regrets what he did, I think he might've grown up a little bit as well" said Joe.

"Seems to be getting along really well now" said Tracey gesturing towards the doors with her head.

Neville, Ron and Hermione had just walked in together chatting amongst themselves.

"Good, he was making our house look bad" said Katie.

"Yeah, Hermione looks remarkably calm for someone who went up against a mountain troll last night" said Blaise.

"Yeah, can't imagine too many first years would be that calm after what happened" said Susan.

"Especially muggleborns who are new to this world" said Daphne.

"Yeah, but whoever let that troll in has got a lot to answer for" said Joe.

"Pity that Dumbledore will be spending more time trying to find out who pulled that brilliant prank last night instead" said Alex smirking at Harry.

"One of our finer moments" said Harry proudly.

"Dad will love to hear that, what did you do to Snivillus anyway?" said Alex.

"Amortenia, no idea how Fred and George got their hands on that" replied Katie laughing slightly.

Alex, Susan, Daphne, Tracey and Blaise laughed.

"I'll get the mirror from my room then we can tell him all about it, mum's gonna kill you though" said Alex chuckling.

Harry looked slightly nervous.

"Come on lets finish eating then we'll take a walk" said Susan.

They finished their breakfast and left the Great Hall. Alex walked up towards Ravenclaw Tower to get the mirror while the others walked outside the castle gates and over the wooden bridge sitting down on the hill overlooking the Forbidden Forest.

Alex returned about 30 minutes later with the mirror and sat down next to Susan and Blaise on the grass.

He held the mirror 6 inches in front of his face.

"Padfoot" said Alex.

A face appeared in the mirror but not the one Alex and the others were expecting.

"Alex, this is a surprise, your Dad's just had to pop into work for a bit, he'll be back soon though" said Marlene who was still dressed in her blue nightgown.

"Hey mum, where's Dorcas, I'd have thought she would have jumped at the chance to talk once she heard the mirror?" said Alex.

"She slept at Greengrass Manor last night, she's coming back around 12, how are you, are you and Harry keeping out of trouble?" said Marlene.

"I am, can't say the same about Harry though, he's got a few things to talk to you and Dad about" said Alex handing the mirror to Harry who took it and brought it to his face.

"Auntie" said Harry smiling.

"Harry, what trouble have you gotten yourself into now?" said Marlene sternly but with a small smile on her face.

"Some good and some bad, it will be better if Padfoot heard this as well" said Harry.

Just on cue Marlene turned towards the door as the faint sound of the fireplace could be heard from the mirror.

They heard a faint voice shouting asking where Marlene was to which she replied "In the upstairs sitting room Sirius".

Footsteps grew louder 30 seconds later as Sirius's face appeared in the mirror.

"Hey prongslet, what's up?" said Sirius smiling at his godson.

The others snickered at Sirius's name for Harry.

"Not much, had an eventful night, which I need to talk to you about actually" said Harry.

"Good or bad?" said Sirius.

"Both" said Katie who leaned on Harry's shoulder so she could be seen in the mirror.

Sirius and Marlene just looked at each other.

"Which do you want first, the good or the bad?" said Harry.

"The good" said Marlene.

Harry told them all the details about his prank on the faculty with Joe and Katie adding details as they went along.

At the end Marlene was straining to contain her laughter while Sirius was rolling around on the floor in laughter after Harry had told him about Snape.

"Harry, as funny as that was, be careful in the future, you could get in a lot of trouble if your caught, especially for the use of Amortenia, that's enough for an expulsion" said Marlene who cracked a smile.

Sirius eventually got up off the floor.

"Oh merlin, I wish I could've been there to see that" said Sirius still laughing.

"Yeah it was great, and don't worry Auntie, no one will figure out it was us" said Harry.

"Okay now that that's over and done with, what about the bad news" said Marlene in a serious tone.

"Harry looked at Joe and Katie who nodded.

"I think it might be better if you heard this from all of us" said Harry.

Marlene and Sirius looked at each other with a worried look on their faces.

Katie levitated the mirror away from them so Sirius and Marlene could see all of them.

Harry, Joe and Katie told them all the details about the troll attack and how none of the teachers have mentioned it since.

By the end of the story Sirius and Marlene both looked angry and shocked by the story.

"You should've got help from a teacher, not foolishly rush off to fight it yourselves" said Marlene.

"There we're no teachers in sight by the time we realised where Hermione was, if we spent ages looking for one then she might have been killed before they got there" said Harry.

"This isn't good, the DMLE are going to go nuts when they hear about this, which we should've done by now, but no one said anything about it when I was there" said Sirius.

"I doubt Dumbledore was going to tell them dad, he'll want to keep this quiet" said Alex.

"Susan, could you write to your Aunt and tell her what happened" said Marlene.

"I was planning to do that this afternoon, she'll be fuming with Dumbledore about this" said Susan.

"All right, we'll let you guys get off, try and stay out of trouble in the future Harry" said Marlene smiling.

Harry laughed.

"I'll try, but no promises" said Harry.

"Look after yourselves, all of you, we'll see you next weekend as well for your first match Harry" said Sirius.

"Bye, mum, bye Dad, love you both" said Alex.

"See you next weekend" said Harry.

The rest of the group said their goodbyes before Katie levitated the mirror back towards Alex who took it and placed it in his pocket.

They stayed on the hill for the next 2 hours talking about school and making jokes about the victim's of Harry's and the others prank before heading back up to the castle.

They sat together at the Gryffindor table for their lunch before Alex and Susan walked back to the Hufflepuff dorms to get a quill and parchment intending to write a letter to her Aunt.

She sat with Alex in the library writing the letter while Alex started on his Potions homework.

 _Dear Auntie_

 _Life has been great here at Hogwarts for me and my friends, I love it here but secretly I can't wait to be back for Christmas._

 _Anyway I think you need to come up here with a team of Auror's. Someone let a mountain troll into the castle on Halloween night which came close to killing a first year student. We just spoke to Sirius who told us that the Auror office hasn't been notified of this._

 _Hope to hear back from you soon._

 _Miss you_

 _Susie_

Susan folded the parchment up and placed it in an envelope she brought with her.

"Finished" said Susan.

"Give me a few seconds, just got to finish this paragraph then we'll walk up to the owlery, you can send it with Hercules if you want" said Alex writing on a roll of parchment.

"Thanks Alex" said Susan smiling.

"Done, lets go" said Alex standing up and putting his work back in his jumper pocket.

He offered her his arm.

"Shall we?" said Alex.

"We shall" said Susan smiling taking his arm.

The two left the library and headed to the Owlery.

After sending the letter off with Hercules they walked back into the castle where they saw Hannah and Sally-Anne Perks sat on one of the benches where Sally-Anne was clearly upset about something.

They made their way over to the pair.

"Sally, what's happened, what's wrong" said Susan.

Hannah turned to look at her.

"Malfoy, we were just walking when he tripped her in the corridor, when I helped her get back up he just shouted at her before walking off laughing" said Hannah in anger.

"What did he say?" said Alex looking angry.

Hannah stood up and walked over to Susan and whispered in her ear. Susan's face changed from one of sadness to one of pure anger.

She leaned over to Alex and whispered in his ear.

"He said filthy mudbloods don't belong in our world and should be driven off like cattle, she doesn't know what it means but as we can see its really upset her"

Alex snarled.

"That bastard, just like his Father" said Alex angrily.

"Who's just like his Father?" came a voice from behind them.

They turned around to see Harry stood there with Joe and Katie with a look of confusion on his face.

"Malfoy, he called Sally-Anne a mudblood" said Susan quietly.

"That boy doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut, leave it with us, we'll deal with Malfoy" said Harry.

"Deal with him how?" said Hannah.

"Give him a lesson he won't forget" said Harry.

Katie walked over to Sally-Anne who was still slightly crying.

"Ignore what he said Sally, he's not worth getting upset over" said Katie placing her hand on Sally-Anne's shoulder in support.

Sally-Anne nodded.

Katie walked back to where Harry and Joe we're stood. The three said their goodbyes before walking back into the castle.

A few hours later Harry and Katie were stood near the entrance to the Great Hall with looks of impatience and anxiousness on their faces.

"What's taking him so long?" said Katie.

"He won't have been caught, we'd have heard if he was" said Harry.

"No I haven't been caught, it wasn't easy to slip the potion in his drink without that Flint guy seeing though" said Joe pulling Harry's invisibility cloak off of himself.

He handed it back to Harry who called for Kreacher to take the cloak back up to his room and put it in his trunk.

The three walked into the hall and sat down near the Weasley Twins and Lee Jordan.

30 seconds later a voice caused them to look up.

"Can we join you?" said Daphne.

She was stood with Tracey and Blaise looking at the empty seats next to Lee Jordan.

"You don't need to ask, of course you can" said Harry.

The three sat down and helped themselves to food and pumpkin juice.

A few minutes later shouts from the Slytherin table caused everyone to turn and look at said table.

Draco Malfoy had just been sick all over his plate and the nearby food and was about to be sick again to the disgust of other Slytherin students.

Crabbe and Goyle just sat their clueless and unsure what to do until Malfoy managed to stop vomiting long enough to tell them to help him. As the pair hoisted him up and walked him out of the Great Hall Snape stood up and strode after them with a murderous look on his face.

The rest of the students including a few Slytherins were laughing their heads off at what happened.

"Well you made good use of that potion then Joe" whispered George.

"He had it coming" said Joe smirking.

Meanwhile at the Hufflepuff table.

"I guess that's what Harry meant by deal with him" said Susan quietly to Alex.

"Yeah, shame Mum might tell him off for that though, she may not like Malfoy but she won't tell Harry she would've liked that, he's gonna get in some trouble next time they speak" said Alex.

"Surely your mum won't tell him off too much" said Susan.

"She won't she'll just pretend to be angry at him instead" said Alex.

Susan laughed.

8th November 1991

Harry and Katie were sat holding their brooms in the Gryffindor team tent dressed in their quidditch robes along with the rest of the Gryffindor team Oliver Wood, the Weasley Twins, the blonde haired 3rd year Alicia Spinnet and the dark haired 3rd year Angelina Johnson.

Their robes were red matching the colours of Gryffindor house with leather pads covering their chest and arms.

"Right we today is our first match of the year, the year which we can hopefully end with winning the quidditch cup, we know how good we are, so lets go and prove it" said Wood.

Harry and the others stood up making their way out of the tent towards the pitch entrance.

Harry and Wood stood at the front with the twins behind them and Katie, Alicia and Angelina stood behind them.

"Ready" said Wood mounting his broom.

Harry mounted his broom and they all kicked off the ground flying through the entrance to an enormous applause.

The stadium was basked in a sea of students with most wearing the red and gold of Gryffindor and the rest wearing the green and silver of Slytherin.

The Slytherin players were already in the air in the centre of the pitch wearing near identifical robes except they were green instead of red.

The Gryffindor team flew one lap round the pitch together before going to join their rivals in the centre. Harry flew up towards where the Slytherin seeker was hovering and hovered directly across from him.

He looked around the stadium and saw Sirius, Marlene and Dorcas sat with Amelia and to his surprise Astoria. Astoria and Dorcas were both wearing red jumpers and were holding a banner saying "Lions rule" between them causing Harry to chuckle.

He gave them a smile and a small wave before turning back to face the Slytherin seeker.

He heard the sound of Lee Jordan from the teachers stand.

"And now introducing the Gryffindor team, Oliver Wood, Fred Weasley, George Weasley Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson who still won't go out with me no matter how many times-" shouted Lee.

"JORDAN!" shouted Mcgonagall from next to him.

"Sorry professor, and lastly Harry Potter" shouted Lee.

Most of the stadium erupted into applause while Harry did a backwards loop on his broom when his name was called.

Madam Hooch walked into the centre circle with her broom in her hand.

"Now I want a nice clean game, from all of you" said Madam Hooch sternly fixing her eyes on the Slytherin captain Marcus Flint with that last sentence.

She opened the box releasing the bludgers and the golden snitch which flew past Harry and the Slytherin seeker before flying high into the sky.

Madam Hooch picked up the quaffle and threw it upwards towards the players starting the game.

Harry drifted away from the Slytherin seeker scouring the pitch for the snitch as Angelina Johnson caught the quaffle and soared off towards the Slytherin hoops.

"Johnson, to Bell, to Spinnet, back to Bell again, across to Johnson!" shouted Lee as cheers erupted from the Gryffindor students as Angelina Johnson launched the quaffle through the left hoop beating the Slytherin keeper.

"10-0 to Gryffindor" shouted Lee.

Harry gave a little clap before going back to searching for the snitch.

Around 20 minutes later as Gryffindor were 60-20 in front Harry spotted the snitch whizzing past the Slytherin hoops and took off after it.

"Potter's on the move, has he spotted the snitch" shouted Lee as Harry neared the Slytherin hoops while the snitch took off into the air again.

Harry followed it as the Slytherin seeker ended up next to him and shoulder barged him. Harry did the same thing with the two barging each other back and forth while following the snitch around the pitch as they approached the large tower where Sirius and the others were sat.

The Snitch suddenly dove towards vertically towards the ground with Harry and the Slytherin seeker following it all the way down.

The crowd oooh'd and gasped with anticipation as the two got closer and closer to the ground. Eventually the Slytherin seeker couldn't take it any more and pulled out of the dive 20 feet from the ground.

Harry kept going and pulled his broom up bringing himself level 8 feet from the ground.

Harry surged his broom forward getting closer to the snitch and reaching his arm out. Just as he was was fingertips away from it the snitch prepared to rise into the air again but Harry quickly snatched it.

"Harry Potter caught the snitch, Gryffindor wins 230 to 50" shouted Lee to a thunderous applause from most of the stadium.

Harry soared into the air into a group hug with the rest of the team before flying over to where Sirius and the others were sat. he dismounted his broom and received hugs and congratulations from them before flying back down to the ground with the others.

They all walked back to the changing rooms cheering and laughing about their victory.

 **A/N: Well I'm pleased to say that now I am finished with my Uni work that there will be more updates for all of my stories in the coming weeks.**


	8. Chapter 8

**The Forgotten Hero**

8th November 1991

Amelia and Sirius were walking through the corridor towards the gargoyle statue that concealed the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Liquorice wands" said Sirius once they arrived at the entrance.

The Gargoyle opened the entrance and Amelia and Sirius walked up the stairs to Dumbledore's office. Once they reached the top they knocked on the door.

"Come in" said Dumbledore's voice from inside.

The two opened the door and entered the office.

Dumbledore was sat at his desk writing on a piece of parchment. He looked up when they approached his desk.

"Madam Bones, Lord Black, to what do I owe this pleasure?" said Dumbledore with a faint frown on his face.

"We're here about the lack of communication between yourself and the DMLE regarding the troll attack that nearly cost a young student her life Albus" said Sirius trying to stay calm.

"Given that you haven't responded to my letter asking you about it I thought it best to come and see you to get some answers in person" said Amelia in a very stern voice.

"I'm afraid I don't have any answers for you, I nor any of my staff have any idea how that troll got into the castle, there's nothing else we can do about it" said Dumbledore.

"Well then since you are at a dead end about it, I will be assigning a team of Auror's to investigate this attack, and your staff if I deem necessary" said Amelia.

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair.

"Surely the Auror's you assign would be better suited elsewhere dealing with criminals and far more serious matters" said Dumbledore in his usual grandfather tone.

"Are you refusing to co-operate, need I remind you that a student was almost killed, and would've been had it not been for the intervention of my godson and his friends, not to mention I and the rest of the DMLE had to find out about this attack from him and my son instead of being informed by you or your staff" said Sirius.

Dumbledore twiddled his thumbs.

"Auror's will be arriving tomorrow to begin their investigation, you and your staff will all submit for interrogation, this will not be refused" said Amelia.

"Very well, is that all Madam Bones?" said Dumbledore.

"For now" said Amelia sternly.

Dumbledore nodded before picking up his quill.

"See yourselves out" said Dumbledore.

Amelia and Sirius left the office and walked back down the stairs into the corridor.

They arrived in the courtyard where Marlene, Dorcas and Astoria were sat talking with Harry, Alex, Joe, Katie, Susan, Daphne, Tracey and Blaise.

"How did he take it?" said Marlene standing up and walking over to Sirius giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"He co-operated in the end, he did look slightly shocked when we told him that all of the staff were going to be interviewed including himself" said Sirius placing his right arm around Marlene's waist and pulling her into him.

"I'll be sending some Auror's over tomorrow, they'll be interviewing all of the staff and will find out how this troll entered the castle, if you see anything suspicious report it to them" said Amelia.

Harry and the others nodded.

"In the meantime, you guys stay out of trouble, especially you Prongslet, try to avoid doing anymore pranks" said Sirius winking at Harry.

Unfortunately this did not go unnoticed by Marlene who smacked him in the chest to the amusement of the others.

"Well we best be off, have fun and we'll see you at Christmas" said Marlene.

The group said goodbye to Sirius, Marlene, Amelia, Dorcas and Astoria. When Harry hugged Dorcas he said.

"Great banner by the way Dor" said Harry.

"It was Tori's idea" said Dorcas smiling.

Harry moved over to Astoria and hugged.

"Loved that banner, you'll have to bring it to my next game" said Harry smiling.

Astoria beamed at him.

"Thanks Harry" said Astoria.

After they had finished their goodbyes Sirius, Marlene, Amelia, Dorcas and Astoria headed towards the path that led to Hogsmeade village as the group walked back into the castle.

The Auror's questioned all of the staff but came up with no leads. Amelia did decide to leave one Auror stationed at Hogwarts in case of further attacks.

Before the group knew it November had passed into December without incident and the Christmas holidays had arrived.

21st December 1991

They boarded the train to return to Kings Cross. Alex, Susan, Daphne, Tracey and Blaise were sat in a compartment together in their winter clothes.

"So guy's my Auntie is organising a big new years eve party at our house, we've got loads of people coming including the Minister, are you guys coming?" said Susan.

"Of course" said Daphne.

"I'm in" said Tracey.

"Me too" said Blaise.

"You know I'll be there" said Alex.

"Do you know who else will be there?" said Tracey.

"I think a quite a few of the guests will be other political families, especially some of the light ones, Auntie's hoping to get them away from the Headmaster's influence and stop him having enough power to control which laws are passed and rejected" said Susan.

"From what I hear they tried to petition changes to the curriculum at Hogwarts but Dumbledore managed to reject them each time" said Blaise.

"No wonder some of those courses are so out of date, Tonks told me she took the muggle studies class in her 3rd year and that they teach you things from the 1800's and nothing about the new muggle technology, that class need some serious upgrading" said Alex.

"Wow, it's a wonder the school governors haven't made changes to it yet" said Susan.

"Well they won't, especially with snobs like Lucius Malfoy on the board, and the others know as much about muggles as Arthur Weasley, and he barely knows anything about them" said Daphne.

"Doesn't his work have something to do with muggles?" said Tracey.

"Yeah, but other people in the Ministry see his job as a complete joke, for more than one reason" said Daphne leaning back into the seat.

Moments later the sweet trolley arrived.

Alex, Blaise and Tracey got a variety of Christmas themed sweets for them all to share between them.

"So what's everybody doing for Christmas day then?" said Blaise opening a packet of Bertie Bott's Christmas Beans.

"Mine and Sue's families are spending the day at Aunt Andi's house, I haven't seen her since Harry's birthday" said Alex opening a box of chocolate Christmas tree's which were giving off a constant green glow.

"Doesn't your cousin work under Madam Bones at the DMLE?" said Tracey.

"Yeah, knowing Dora she'll be a bit nervous, eating Christmas dinner with your boss is enough to make anyone nervous" said Daphne chuckling.

Alex laughed.

"Yeah, she will be nervous but Auntie won't mind, she likes Dora despite some of her flaws" said Susan.

"Tonks is always good fun to be around, she may be a bit clumsy at times but she's someone you can always have a good time with, what about you guys, what are you doing for Christmas day?" said Alex.

"We're having a big dinner at my house, whole families coming round for a few days" said Daphne.

"Just spending it with Mum and Dad" said Tracey.

"Spending it with my mum, the date is coming up, she always gets upset on that day every year, we both do" said Blaise sadly.

Tracey put her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, you know we're here if you need us Blaise" said Tracey sincerely.

Blaise nodded and picked out one of his Christmas flavour beans popping it into his mouth and grimacing.

"Uggh, parsnip's" said Blaise still grimacing from the foul taste in his mouth.

The others laughed while Tracey helped herself to one of the beans from his packet.

"Nice, Elven red wine" said Tracey.

"And how would you know what that tastes like" said Daphne smirking.

"Daddy lets me have some every Christmas" said Tracey sticking her tongue out.

"Lucky you, Mum had a right go at Dad when he gave Harry half a glass of it last Christmas" said Alex.

The others laughed.

"Didn't your Mum tell Harry to drink it anyway?" said Susan.

"Yeah, thankfully he drank it slow so he didn't get drunk, unlike Dad" said Alex.

"What did he do?" said Blaise smirking.

"He tried to do a waltz with Kreacher round the dining room table which Kreacher hated and ran off after a few seconds" said Alex.

The entire compartment laughed.

They continued talking all the way back to Kings Cross.

They picked up their belongings and made their way off the train. They spotted their families all stood together and made their way towards them followed by Harry, Joe and Katie.

After saying goodbye to each other they all left the platform heading home.

Harry and the others side along apparated back to 12 Grimmauld Place heading inside where Harry and Alex took their belongings up to their rooms before coming back downstairs for lunch.

They spent the next day in Diagon Alley meeting up with the Amelia and Susan before they all went around the Alley to do their Christmas shopping finishing the day with dinner in The Leaky Cauldron.

24th December 1991

Harry, Alex, Susan, Dorcas, Sirius, Marlene and Amelia were stood near the fireplace at Grimmauld Place ready to floo to the Tonks house. They were all dressed in Christmas jumpers and jeans.

Sirius knelt near the fireplace.

"Alphards Retreat" said Sirius.

30 seconds later a face of a fair haired man around 37 years of age appeared as a reflection in the flames of the fireplace.

"Sirius, you can come through now if you like, Andi and Nymphadora are waiting for you guys" said Ted Tonks.

A shout of "Don't call me Nymphadora" was heard through the fireplace causing Harry, Alex, Susan and Dorcas to chuckle.

"Okay we'll come through now, Amelia you can take Susan first, Harry and Alex will follow you, Marl's can take Dorcas through, then I'll have Kreacher bring our bags across before coming through" said Sirius.

Ted's head disappeared from the fire.

Amelia and Susan went through the floo followed by Marlene and Dorcas before Harry and Alex stepped into the fireplace.

"Alphards Retreat" shouted Alex throwing the floo powder at his feet.

Once they arrived Harry let go of Alex causing him to stumble out of the fireplace and fall flat on his face to a chorus of laughter from Susan, Dorcas and Dora.

The large sitting room had been largely decorated with ornaments and tinsel lining the shelves. There were two black leather settee's and a black leather chair positioned in front of a medium sized television on the opposite wall to the fireplace while a large 10 foot Christmas stood in one corner of the room heavily decorated with tinsel, baubles, lights and chocolates.

Alex quickly got back to his feet while Harry walked past him to greet Ted, Andromeda and Nymphadora.

Ted was dressed in a gold Christmas jumper with dancing Santa's on the front and faded blue jeans. Andromeda was dressed in a blue Christmas jumper with a glowing Christmas tree on the front and dark blue jeans. Nymphadora was wearing a grey Weird Sisters Christmas shirt and jeans with her favourite bubblegum pink hair.

"Happy Christmas Uncle" said Harry giving Ted a one armed hug who returned it before he moved over to Andromeda.

He gave her a hug and said Happy Christmas before moving to Nymphadora and giving her a hug.

"Happy Christmas, Nymphadora" said Harry teasing her slightly.

She smiled at him before giving him a slight slap on the back of the head causing chuckles from Alex, Susan, Dorcas, Marlene and Ted.

"Don't call me that" said Dora in a half threatening half joking voice.

Harry laughed and released her from his hug stepping back.

Alex and Dorcas went over and greeted their Aunt, Uncle and cousin.

"How you doing squirt, you making hell for those 2" said Dora indicating her head at Harry and Alex while hugging Dorcas.

Dorcas laughed.

"Haven't been able to do anything new yet" said Dorcas laughing.

Sirius arrived a few minutes later followed by Kreacher who dropped their bags and presents on one of the settee's.

"Thank you Kreacher, you can go now" said Andromeda smiling slightly at the house elf.

"Happy to serve Mistress" said Kreacher smiling and bowing to her before disapparating.

"Well then, shall we take our stuff up to our rooms and then come back down" said Marlene.

They all picked up their bags and took them upstairs while Andromeda placed the presents under the Christmas tree.

Once they had placed their bags in their rooms they went back downstairs. Nymphadora took Harry, Alex, Susan and Dorcas outside into the garden while the adults stayed in the sitting room chatting and drinking elf white wine.

They were all sat on the garden furniture in the large back garden talking amongst themselves.

"So tell me boys, what mischief have you been up to so far this year?" said Dora grinning wickedly.

"I haven't done much, but Prongslet here has pulled quite a few pranks so far this year" said Alex teasing Harry with his Father's nickname for him.

Harry lightly punched him in the arm.

Dora smirked.

"Go on then Prongslet, tell us about all of these pranks you've pulled" said Dora.

"Ask me nicely and I'll tell you Nymphie" said Harry.

Dora pouted.

"Please Harry, tell your favourite cousin all about these pranks" said Dora giving him the puppy dog eyes.

Harry smirked.

"Where do I start?" said Harry.

"Start with that human weasel prank you pulled on Malfoy, Weasel and Longbottom" said Susan.

"Human weasel?" said Dora with a wide grin.

Harry told her all the details about his human weasel prank, his Halloween prank and his last prank on Malfoy.

By the end of it Dora couldn't stop laughing.

"So you gave Snape Amortenia keyed to stick up the arse Percy Weasley, I would pay to see that" said Dora laughing.

"Yeah shame we didn't have the camera that time though, making Dumbledore lose all his hair was a good bit of payback for what he did to me as well, he looked like a bald chicken" said Harry laughing.

"Joe gave you the pictures of Malfoy and Longbottom though didn't he" said Alex.

"Yeah, but there back at home" said Harry.

"Call Kreacher to get them for you" said Dorcas.

"Good idea, thanks sis, Kreacher" said Harry.

Kreacher appeared in front of them.

"Go and fetch the pictures out of my bedside drawer please" said Harry.

Kreacher grumbled before disapparating.

He returned moments later with a stack of palm sized photos in his hands. He handed them to Harry before disapparating.

Harry handed the pictures to Dora who looked through them laughing as she did.

"Wow, he really did look like a weasel, you need to let me keep these for my Mum's photo album" said Dora.

"Yeah, I got plenty of copies" said Harry.

"Won't Aunt Andi be cross with you if she sees those in her photo album?" said Alex.

Dora shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe" said Dora.

Dora put the photos to one side and looked at Harry.

"And what's this I hear about you taking on a 30 foot Mountain Troll Harry?" said Dora with a stern look on her face.

Harry told her the story about facing the Mountain Troll and saving a student.

"As much as I admire your bravery Harry, you should've left it to the teachers" said Dora.

"They would've got there too late to deal with it" said Harry.

"So my foolish heroic cousin saves the life of a girl, is she pretty Harry?" said Dora in a teasing tone.

"Nymphie, don't go there, I may have saved her life but we haven't spoken since then" said Harry.

"You need to get a move on kid, Alex here already has himself a pretty girl, and he's a year younger than you" said Dora.

Alex and Susan blushed while Dorcas snickered.

"Yeah yeah, you found a man to sweep you off your feet yet" said Harry teasing.

Dora sarcastically laughed.

"Ha ha ha" said Dora.

"Just don't hex the guy if he calls you by your first name" said Harry smirking.

Alex, Susan and Dorcas laughed while Dora looked shocked at Harry.

"Harry, surely you don't think I'd be that cruel do you?" said Dora putting on a fake hurt face.

Harry laughed.

"Dinner" shouted Andromeda's voice from inside the house.

The group stood up and made their way inside heading to the dining room. After dinner consisting of Homemade beef casserole and potatoes followed by drinks in the sitting room Harry, Alex, Dorcas and Susan went to bed.

Once Harry was in the room he was sharing with Alex he had an idea. He donned his invisibility cloak and made his way back downstairs towards the back door. He quietly opened it and grabbed a grey steel bucket from outside and made his way back upstairs. He hid the bucket under his bed while Alex was still in the bathroom getting changed.

Once Alex had returned Harry went into the bathroom to get changed before going to bed.

25th December 1991

"Hey Alex wake up" said Harry shaking Alex gently.

Alex stirred before opening his eyes.

"Wha, oh Happy Christmas Harry" grumbled Alex.

"Happy Christmas to you too, come on, get up" said Harry.

"What time is it?" said Alex.

"Half 9, come on, I got an idea, but I need your help for it" said Harry.

"What?" said Alex sitting up in his bed.

"Little wake up present for Dora, come on" said Harry.

Alex got out of bed as Harry went and retrieved his invisibility cloak, camera and the bucket he found last night.

Harry made his way to the bathroom and filled it up with cold water. Alex followed him holding the invisibility cloak and camera as they arrived at Dora's room.

They opened the door quietly and peeked inside to find that she was still asleep. They snuck into the room where Harry placed the bucket of water on the floor next to the bed.

He slowly pulled the covers off of Dora who was sleeping in her purple pyjamas and picked up the bucket.

"Come stand next to me, and be ready to put the cloak over us" said Harry aiming the bucket towards Dora.

Alex crept over to stand next to him and had the invisibility cloak ready.

The two smirked as Harry chucked the water onto the sleeping Dora drenching her from head to toe causing her to wake up and scream.

Alex quickly wrapped the cloak around him and Harry before Dora could see them them.

She shot out of bed picking up her wand and ran out of the room.

"You're dead Harry!" screamed Dora.

Harry and Alex scrambled out of the room and back to their room leaving the cloak and the bucket before making their way downstairs with the camera.

When they got downstairs they saw that everyone else was sitting round the tree and on the settee's while Dora was stood behind one of the settee's seething causing her hair to glow a fiery red.

Ted, Andromeda, Sirius, Susan and Dorcas were howling with laughter while Marlene and Amelia were struggling to contain their laughter.

Alex got ready with the camera.

"Hey Nymphie" said Harry in a teasing voice.

She turned to face them with a look of rage on her face at which point Alex took the photo.

"You're dead boys" snarled Dora.

Harry and Alex took off running back upstairs while Dora chased them.

The two quickly grabbed the invisibility cloak from their room and covered themselves with it standing in the corner of the room as Dora arrived with her wand out. She scoured the room looking for them for a few minutes before Andromeda shouted up the stairs.

"Dora that's enough, get dressed and then come downstairs, the boys were only having a joke"

Harry and Alex removed the invisibility cloak and put it down on Harry's bed before making their way downstairs laughing.

They passed Andromeda at the bottom of the stairs who stopped them.

"I hope I can have that picture for my photo album" said Andromeda chuckling.

"I'll give it to you in a bit" said Harry.

"Don't tell her I said this but that was a great prank" said Andromeda.

Harry and Alex laughed before going to sit down next to Susan and Dorcas on the floor near the tree.

Dora came back downstairs a few minutes later having dried herself and dressed in a dressing gown and slippers. She sat down next to Sirius fixing Harry and Alex with a glare that meant she was going to get them back for what they did.

Once they were all sat down they started handing presents out to each other.

Harry received some bottle green formal dress robes with the Potter and Peverell crests stitched onto the left and right breast pockets from Ted and Andromeda, an Auror's wand holster from Sirius, some black wizard robes with the Potter and Peverell crests stitched onto the breast pockets from Marlene, a wallet with multiple anti theft measures from Alex, a book titled "Great Potions for the Prankster" from Dorcas, a large supply of sweets from Susan and a book titled "How to Charm the Prettiest of Witches" from Dora to everyones amusement.

Like Harry Alex received some black formal dress robes with the Black crest stitched onto the left breast pocket from Ted and Andromeda, an Auror's wand holster from Sirius, some dark blue wizard robes with the Black crest stitched onto the left breast pocket from Marlene, a book on advanced defence magic from Harry, a fine silver necklace from Susan, a brand new eagle quill from Dorcas and a scarf which changed colour depending on your mood from Dora.

After lunch cooked by Marlene, Andromeda and Kreacher they stayed long into the evening chatting and testing out some of their presents before Harry, Alex, Susan, Dorcas, Sirius and Marlene returned to Grimmauld Place while Amelia returned to Bones Manor before sending some of Susan's clothes back to Grimmauld Place so she could stay for the next few days.

Joe and Katie arrived on the 27th and had decided to stop until the New Year. Harry took great delight in showing them the picture of his prank on Dora to the amusement of the pair.

On New Years Eve Harry, Joe, Katie, Alex, Dorcas, Sirius and Marlene flooed to Bones Manor from Grimmauld Place to attend the New Years Eve party which had been a big occasion for the Ministry this year with Cornellius Fudge and other high ranking Ministry personal attending the party.

However unfortunately for Harry and Alex Dora had her revenge on them tonight managing to apply sticking charms to their seats causing the seats to be stuck to the floor while they were stuck to the seats. She eventually undid the charms after a good 10-15 minutes allowing the pair to enjoy the night.

They were having so much fun over the Christmas break that they were quite disappointed when it ended despite looking forward to returning to Hogwarts.

10th January 1992

Joe was walking along the corridor towards Dumbledore's office accompanied by Professor Mcgonagall after Dumbledore had requested to see him in private that morning at breakfast.

Once he reached the staircase he walked over to the entrance as Mcgonagall said the password for the entrance. As the gargoyle ascended Joe began walking up the stairs. Reaching the top of the stairs he knocked on the door which slowly opened.

"Enter"

Joe walked through the door closing it behind him and made his way over to the desk where Dumbledore was sat watching him with a glare that made Joe feel uneasy about being in the same room as him.

"Mr Harper, please sit down" said Dumbledore in his grandfatherly voice.

Joe walked over and sat down opposite Dumbledore fixing him with a glare.

"Sherbet lemon?" said Dumbledore gesturing to a bowl of sweets on the left side of the desk.

"No thank you, what did you want to see me about?" said Joe plainly.

Dumbledore twiddled his thumbs.

"Its amazing you know, knowledge, it is endless and provides one with many advantages in life" said Dumbledore.

"So you say" said Joe plainly his face not giving any emotions away.

"Yet, if you ask the right people, then you can discover things you wouldn't normally find out, things that can only be confirmed by one person as only that person holds the knowledge you seek" said Dumbledore.

"Where is this going Headmaster?" said Joe starting to get irritated.

"Well an old friend of mine told me something which made me realise that you haven't been completely honest with me or my staff" said Dumbledore solemnly.

"He knows" thought Joe panicking slightly.

"I know what your family is, where they come from, and why you would feel the need to keep it a secr-" said Dumbledore before Joe interrupted him.

"You may know the answers, but know this, my family know quite a few things about you as well, especially about some skeletons that you would prefer to keep quiet from certain parts of the magical community" said Joe.

Dumbledore paled.

"Good I see that you get the message, you don't reveal what you know, and I won't reveal what I know, do we have an understanding?" said Joe.

Dumbledore sat for several moments debating his options before finally answering.

"Very well, but know this, you cannot keep what I know a secret forever" said Dumbledore in resignation.

"Neither can you, are we done here?" said Joe standing up.

"You may go" said Dumbledore.

Joe walked out of his office and back down the stairs.

Once he arrived back in the Gryffindor Common Room Harry and Katie made their way over to him with worried looks on their faces.

"What did he want with you?" said Harry.

"Your not in trouble are you?" said Katie.

"I can't tell them, not yet" thought Joe.

"He tried to get me to confess to the Halloween prank, but he couldn't prove anything so he had to let me go" said Joe.

"He's still looking into that" said Harry suspiciously.

"Yeah, I guess you were right though, he's spent more time trying to figure out who got rid of his hair instead of looking for the culprit behind the troll attack" said Joe.


	9. Chapter 9

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

14th January 1992

Alex, Susan, Daphne, Tracey and Blaise were all sat round one of the tables in the library working on their respective homework whilst engaging in light chatter about their work.

"Merlin, Quirrell sure likes making his homework as fun as possible" said Alex sarcastically.

"9 inches on the disarming charm?" said Tracey.

"Yeah, that's tough even for us Ravenclaw's, I mean how do you write 9 inches of work on the disarming charm, not too mention we did this in our first term" said Alex.

"Hopefully we get a decent DADA teacher next year, one that doesn't stutter and quiver in fear every time he talks in class" said Blaise.

"Hopefully we will, where do they hire some of these people from anyway?" said Daphne.

"From what my Auntie was saying, they don't get a lot of people applying for the job, I guess they have to go with whatever nutter applies first" said Susan.

"Emphasis on nutter, they need to get a competent DADA teacher for next year or people will start complaining, some of the older students are only doing so well because they teach themselves" said Blaise.

"I will be teaching myself if we get another useless teacher next year" said Alex.

"Me too" said Daphne.

"I think that's the same for all of us" said Susan.

A thud from the next table got their attention.

"I was looking in the wrong section, how could I be so stupid" said Hermione who had opened a large centuries old book and sat down across from Neville and Ron.

"I checked this out first term for a bit of light reading" said Hermione.

"This is light" said Ron dumbstruck.

"Shut up" hissed Hermione.

Tracey was about to open her mouth in annoyance but Blaise stopped her.

"Hold on, lets see what this is all about" whispered Blaise.

They went back to their work while keeping an ear open listening to the conversation.

"Nicholas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosophers Stone" said Hermione.

"The what?" said Neville and Ron a little too loudly but Hermione quickly shushed them.

"Well, well, well, seems like some people are reading into things out of their league" said Alex.

"Why would they be reading into that anyway?" said Susan.

"Lets find out, wait here" said Daphne standing up and picking up the book she was using for her work.

She slowly walked past the other table pretending to be walking towards the shelves listening to the conversation.

After she put the book away she returned to the table and sat down waiting for Neville, Hermione and Ron to leave.

Once they had left she turned to look at the others.

"You won't believe this, they think that Flamel's Philosophers Stone is in the castle and that Snape is trying to steal it" said Daphne.

"What?" said Alex.

"That's ridiculous" said Susan.

"They also said something about a three headed dog guarding it as well" said Daphne.

"So where did they get this idea of Snape trying to steal the stone from?" said Tracey.

"Who knows, but I wouldn't put it past most Gryffindor's to blame everything on Snape" said Alex.

"Talk to Harry, see if he can find out more from them" said Daphne.

Alex nodded.

They all finished their work before heading back down to the Great Hall for dinner.

20th January 1992

Harry and Katie were sat with the rest of the Gryffindor team in their tent in preparation for their match against Hufflepuff.

"All right, this Hufflepuff team isn't as strong as last years team especially since they lost their best chaser, now if we get a big win we can surge past Slytherin in points and then we'll only need to beat Ravenclaw to win the cup, any questions?" said Wood.

Everyone stayed silent.

"Good lets go" said Wood.

Everyone stood up and they all made their way out of the tent towards the pitch.

As the Gryffindor team were making their way onto the pitch Joe, Daphne, Tracey and Blaise were making their way through the Gryffindor stands and found seats behind Neville, Hermione and Ron who ignored them.

Daphne leaned towards them.

"So tell me, why are you three so interested in Nicholas Flamel?" said Daphne.

The three tensed up and quickly turned around to face them.

"What are you talking about Greengrass?" said Neville.

"Ignore them, why don't you go sit with the other snakes instead of bothering us?" said Ron.

Joe chuckled.

"Now that wasn't very nice was it Weasley" said Joe.

"But you never answered our question" said Blaise.

"Its none of your business" said Neville turning back to look at the game as Katie put 20-0 up.

"What makes you think we were talking about the Philosophers Stone in the first place?" said Hermione bossily.

Daphne leaned towards her.

"A word of advice Granger, think about who can hear your conversations next time you discuss them in the library" said Daphne before leaning back.

They turned their attention back to the game with Gryffindor winning 90-30 while Harry and the Hufflepuff Seeker were chasing the snitch near the teachers stand.

The Gryffindor and Hufflepuff stands started cheering as both seekers closed in on the snitch before the only the Gryffindor's were cheering as Harry caught the snitch ending the game with a Gryffindor victory of 270-30.

Joe, Daphne, Tracey and Blaise stood up applauding along with the rest of the Gryffindor's.

The Gryffindor team flew back down and headed back to the changing rooms celebrating amongst themselves.

About half an hour later Harry and Katie met up with them outside the changing rooms and they all made their way back up to the castle where Joe, Daphne, Tracey and Blaise told Harry, Katie, Alex and Susan about their conversation with Neville, Ron and Hermione.

13th February 1992

Harry and Katie returned to Gryffindor Tower from the Hospital Wing after taking Joe there after the Weasley Twins had tricked him into eating Doxy Eggs as part of a bet.

The common room was nearly empty when they arrived back apart from a few older students sat talking near the fire.

The two sat down at one of tables where Katie noticed that a letter had been carelessly left on the table. Curiously she picked it up and read it before looking at Harry with a serious look on her face.

"What is it?" said Harry.

She handed the letter to him which he took.

He began to read it.

 _Dear Ron_

 _I got your letter about Hagrid's Norwegian Ridgeback. I spoke with my boss and he agreed that we can take care of it at the enclosure. A few of our handlers will be at the top of the Astronomy Tower this Tuesday at midnight to collect the dragon. Bring it to them and make sure your not seen._

 _Love Charlie_

Harry folded the letter and groaned.

"Idiots, if they get caught they're in a lot of trouble" said Harry.

"Today's Tuesday, what time is it?" said Katie.

Harry cast a tempus charm.

"11:50, come on, we'll get my cloak and we'll stop them before they get into trouble" said Harry.

Katie nodded as Harry went upstairs to retrieve the cloak.

After Harry returned they left the common room and put on the cloak heading for the Astronomy Tower.

They arrived at the Astronomy Tower to see Neville and Hermione stood at the railing while three figures on broomsticks were shrinking into the distance.

They moved to stand behind them and removed the cloak and Harry folded it and put it under his school robe.

"Are you two trying to cost us the House Cup, you know what could happen to you if you were caught with a dragon" said Katie sternly causing Neville and Hermione to turn around in shock.

"What dragon?" said Neville.

"The Norwegian Ridgeback you got from Hagrid, the same one you just smuggled out of Hogwarts minutes ago" said Harry.

"How did you know about that?" said Hermione sounding worried.

"Tell Mr Weasley not to leave letters lying around in the common room where anyone can read them" said Harry.

"You shouldn't have read-" said Neville before he was cut off by the sound of someone reaching the top of the stairs.

They turned to look at the stairs where Argus Filch was looking at them with a malicious stare in his eyes with his cat Mrs Norris stood next to him staring at them with her sickly yellow eyes.

"Well, well, four students out of bed at midnight my sweet, you four are in trouble, come with me" said Filch.

They reluctantly followed Filch all the way to Professor Mcgonagall's office.

The four of them ended up losing a combined 200 points for Gryffindor and detention the next night after receiving an earful from Mcgonagall who also informed them that she would be writing to their families the next day.

14th February 1992

Harry and Katie made their way down to the Great Hall at 8pm to meet Filch for their detention.

Once they got down their they saw that Filch was waiting with Neville and Hermione. The five of them made their way out of the castle and headed towards Hagrid's Hut.

"Back in the days I'd have been able to hang you by your thumbs in the dungeons for this, god I miss the screaming" said Filch with a smile on his face.

"Lucky us" muttered Katie.

"You'll be serving your detentions with Hagrid tonight, inside the Forbidden Forest" said Filch.

They arrived at Hagrid's hut where Hagrid was waiting for them outside dressed in his large wool coat holding his crossbow in one hand.

"That'll be all Filch, I'll take it from here" said Hagrid.

"Thank god" said Neville sounding relieved.

"Don't be so cheery lad, your going in the forest after all" said Filch smirking.

Neville spluttered.

"The forest, I thought you were only joking, students aren't allowed, I'm not going in" said Neville.

"If you wanna stay at Hogwarts you will be, or would you rather be expelled" said Hagrid sternly.

"But there are dangerous creatures in there" said Neville sounding slightly scared.

A howl could be heard in the distance.

"Like Werewolves" said Neville.

Filch chuckled.

"There are far worse things than Werewolves in there lad" said Filch.

"All right Filch, I can take it from here" said Hagrid sounding slightly angry.

Filch turned and left.

"Come on then" said Hagrid picking up a lantern and setting off into the forest with his large Boarhound Fang followed by the four.

Harry and Katie used Lumos to get a light on the top of their wands before setting off.

Katie stayed close to Harry as they kept following a path through the forest for half an hour before coming to a stop at a fork in the path where they saw a small puddle of thick shiny liquid on the floor.

Hagrid dipped his fingers into it and held it up for the others to see.

"Is that... Unicorn blood?" said Harry sounding shocked.

"Yeah, I found one dead last week, this ones been hurt badly by something" said Hagrid solemnly.

"Like a wolf" said Hermione.

"No, a wolf didn't do this, I'm not sure what did, but were not here to find that out, its our job to go and find the poor beast, now there's 2 paths here, we'll need to check them both" said Hagrid.

"So we have to split up then?" said Katie.

"Yeah, Katie, you and Neville go left with Fang, me, Harry and Hermione will go right, if you find the Unicorn or need my help, send up red sparks with your wand and I'll come and find you, you know how to do that?" said Hagrid.

Katie and Neville nodded.

"Okay, we'll head off then" said Hagrid.

Katie and Neville set off down the left path while Hagrid took Harry and Hermione down the right path.

As they were walking Harry walked next to Hagrid.

"Hagrid just out of curiosity, how did you get a Norwegian Ridgeback, they're not easy to get a hold of in this country?" said Harry.

Hagrid looked at him for a moment before looking back at the path again.

"I won't tell anyone Hagrid, just curious" said Harry.

"I got it just after new year, won the egg in a card game in the Hogs Head" said Hagrid.

"Curious item to bet with, they're very valuable" said Harry.

Hagrid was about to answer when Hermione shouted.

"Hagrid, red sparks over there" shouted Hermione pointing to the sky 30 feet to their left.

Hagrid told them to stay there and took off running with his crossbow.

"I hope your okay Katie" thought Harry looking worried for his friend.

Hagrid returned in a bad mood about 10 minutes later with Katie, Neville and Fang.

To Harry's confusion Neville had a stinging red handprint on his left cheek and slight tears in his eyes and had just slumped to the floor.

Katie ran up to Harry and hugged him.

"What happened?" said Harry.

"Neville snuck up behind me and tried to scare me, so I slapped him hard causing him to send up the sparks" said Katie angrily.

Harry looked at Neville who was being berated by Hagrid.

"All right, we'll change pairs, Katie, you can come with me and Hermione, Harry you take this idiot with Fang" said Hagrid still slightly angry.

Harry nodded and turned to Neville.

"Get up Longbottom and get your wand out" said Harry angrily.

Neville stood up and walked over to Harry pulling his wand out.

"Lumos" muttered Neville causing his wand tip to light up.

Harry gave Katie a hug before walking along the path with Neville and Fang holding his wand in front of him illuminating the path.

Once they were a bit further down the path Harry pulled Neville aside.

"You try a trick like that on me and I'll leave you in this forest on your own, understand" said Harry icily.

Neville rapidly nodded.

"Good" said Harry as they started walking again.

About 15 minutes later they found a trail of Unicorn blood.

"This way" said Harry.

After following the trail for another five minutes they came to a small dried up ditch.

Upon entering the ditch they were greeted with a gruesome sight.

The Unicorn they had been tracking was laying there in the middle of the ditch. To their horror a figure dressed in a large black cloak covering his face was knelt down at the Unicorns neck with his mouth attached to a wound on its neck.

Neville gasped and clutched his forehead where his scar was located.

"Shhh" whispered Harry.

Unfortunately for them the figure had heard Neville and turned to look at them before snarling.

Neville screamed and ran off out of the ditch followed by Fang leaving Harry there on his own.

"Stupefy" shouted Harry as a red jet of light erupted from his wand and hurtled towards the figure.

The figure deflected the spell with his hand before quickly extending his arm in Harry's direction.

Harry felt himself fly backwards into a tree and let out a howl of pain. As he hit the floor he pointed his wand up to the sky.

"Periculum" said Harry as red sparks shot into the sky from his wand.

Harry turned to look at the figure which started gliding towards him.

Suddenly a large horse like shape leaped over Harry and towards the figure.

It raised its front legs in an attempt to attack the figure which glided off into the night.

Harry slowly stood up as the figure made its way over to him.

It was a large centaur around 12 feet in height with brown fur on the horse part of its body and a dark red hair on its human head.

"Mr Potter, you must leave here now, the forest is not safe at this time of night" said the Centaur in a soft spoken voice.

Harry looked at him in confusion.

"How do you know who I am?" said Harry.

"You are the mirror image of your Father, I met him more than once on his travels through the forest, I am Firenze" said Firenze extending his arm out to Harry who stood up.

Harry slowly shook his hand.

"What was that thing?" said Harry.

"I think you might know, for I can think of only one person in this world who would resort to slaying a unicorn for its blood just to keep themselves alive" said Firenze sadly.

Harry thought for a moment.

"Voldemort" said Harry.

"Yes, for one has to be truly evil and desperate to live to slay so pure a creature" said Firenze as Hagrid, Katie, Neville, Hermione and Fang appeared at the top of the ditch.

Katie ran down into the ditch and wrapped him in a hug.

"Thank god your okay Harry" said Katie sounding very relieved.

Harry smiled and hugged her back.

"Hello there Firenze" said Hagrid plainly.

"Hagrid" said Firenze bowing his head.

"You all right Harry?" said Hagrid with a worried look on his face.

Harry nodded.

"Harry Potter" said Firenze.

Harry and Katie turned to look at Firenze.

"I must leave you now, until we next meet, farewell" said Firenze.

"Farewell" replied Harry.

Firenze turned and galloped away.

Hagrid looked at the Unicorn with sadness before taking them all back up the path and out of the forest.

Hagrid walked them back up to Gryffindor tower where Joe was waiting for Harry and Katie in the common room. Harry told him and Katie all the details about what happened in the forest.

The next day at breakfast a large dark grey owl arrived with a letter for Harry from Sirius and Marlene.

He opened the letter and started to read it.

 _Harry_

 _Would you care to explain to us why you and Katie were caught by Filch after midnight and exactly what you were doing which has caused Professor Mcgonagall to send us a very angry letter._

 _We thought that you would have had more sense not to get caught especially given that you have your invisibility cloak and marauders map with you._

 _Were not that mad at you anyway so don't be too worried Prongslet._

 _We'll see you at your last game of the season where we want to see you lift that Quidditch cup. Your Mum and Dad would be very proud of you._

 _Lots of love_

 _Sirius and Marlene._

Harry chuckled after reading the letter.

"What you expected?" said Joe taking a bite out of his bacon.

"Not exactly, here" said Harry handing him the letter.

Joe took it and read it before handing it to Katie.

After she read it she handed it back to Harry who pocketed it.

"So their not mad at you?" said Joe.

"I think their more disappointed that we got caught than what we were doing up there" said Harry laughing.

The three laughed.

"You gonna tell him why you were up there then?" said Joe.

"Yeah, I'll tell him in my next letter" said Harry.

They finished their breakfast and headed back to Gryffindor tower to get their bags before heading off to their Transfiguration lesson.

After the lesson Harry, Joe and Katie approached Professor Mcgonagall at her desk who looked up to see them.

"Can I help you three?" said Mcgonagall.

"We wanted to talk to you about last night Professor" said Katie.

"What about last night?" said Mcgonagall.

The three looked at each other.

"I think you might need to get the Auror's up here" said Harry.

They proceeded to tell her all about the figure in the Forbidden Forest to her shock and disgust.

"I'll speak to the Headmaster about this, then we'll contact the DMLE and get someone up here to investigate this" said Mcgonagall.

Harry and the others nodded before saying goodbye and left the room.

"What's the bet Dumbledore tells her not to contact the Auror's?" said Katie.

"I doubt Professor Mcgonagall will listen to him if he does, its a serious matter, they can't exactly sweep this under the rug" said Joe.

"True" said Harry.

The Auror's arrived at the school a few days later and began patrolling the Forbidden Forest but could not find anything.

20th April 1992

Today was the day. The final match of the season between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Harry and the others were sat in the Gryffindor tent with a mix of nerves and excitement knowing they would win the cup if the beat Ravenclaw.

"I know your all nervous, I am too, this is the big one, we win this and we get the cup" said Wood.

They all nodded at him.

"So we need to be at our best today, we need to show that we are the best, that we have two brutal Beaters" said Wood.

"Stop it Oliver" said George in a girly voice.

"You're making us blush" said Fred in an equally girly voice.

"We've got three superb Chasers who never let the team down" said Oliver.

Angelina, Alicia and Katie smiled at him.

"We've got a Seeker who could've given Charlie Weasley a run for his money" said Oliver.

"And lets not forget an unbelievable Keeper who keeps us all in check" said Harry.

Oliver laughed.

"Come on, lets get out there and win the cup" said Oliver picking up his broom.

The others picked up their brooms and followed him out of the tent.

They mounted their brooms once they arrived at the pitch entrance.

Oliver looked at them and nodded. They all kicked off the ground and flew out onto the pitch to roars from the Gryffindor's.

As they were doing their lap around the pitch Harry saw Sirius, Marlene, Amelia, Cyrus Greengrass, Lucille Greengrass, Matthew Bell, Dora, Dorcas and Astoria sat together in one of the tower stands. Like in their game against Slytherin he saw that Dorcas and Astoria had brought their "Lions Rule" banner with them again.

Harry and the others flew into the centre of the pitch just in time to hear the Gryffindor team being announced.

"And now for the mighty lions, clear favourites to win the cup this year!" shouted Lee.

The Gryffindor's roared and cheered.

"Oliver Wood, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, the lovely Angelina Johnson, and Harry Potter!" shouted Lee.

The noise from the Gryffindor's was deafening as Madam Hooch prepared to start the game.

Once the Quaffle was launched into the air beginning the game Roger Davies of the Ravenclaw team caught it and took off towards the Gryffindor hoops.

"Davies to Marcus Clearwater, passes it back to Davies but intercepted by Katie Bell, of she goes towards the Ravenclaw hoops, will she shoot, no she passes to Spinnet who scores, 10-0 to Gryffindor!" shouted Lee as the Gryffindor's cheered.

The game was neck and neck for the next 25 minutes bringing the score to 90-80 in favour of Ravenclaw after Katie pulled one back for Gryffindor.

Harry was circling the stadium searching for the Snitch with the Ravenclaw seeker Harry recognised as 2nd year Cho Chang was flying a few feet away from him.

Just as Angelina levelled the scores at 90-90 Harry spotted the snitch at the base of the Ravenclaw hoops and sped off after it followed by Cho.

The two flew side by side zig zagging between the hoops and across the pitch close to the ground towards the Gryffindor hoops each trying to get as close to the Snitch as possible.

The Snitch flew high into the air towards the clouds and the two chased after it.

As they climbed higher and higher they were still neck and neck for the Snitch. Suddenly the Snitch changed course and started to plummet. Instinctively Harry snatched his hands towards it and luckily managed to grab one of the wings and hold it.

Moments later the Gryffindor's erupted in applause.

"Potter's done it, he got the Snitch, Gryffindor wins the Quidditch cup with a final score of 250-120, Gryffindor are the champions!" cheered Lee.

Harry and the others flew into the centre of the pitch engaging in a massive group hug. Once they were done Harry flew towards where Sirius and the others were sat who were cheering and congratulating him.

He stopped in mid air just above the empty front row of seats. He held out his hand to Dorcas.

"Come on Sis" said Harry.

Dorcas grinned and took Harry's hand where he helped her onto his broom before flying one lap round the pitch with her. Once he returned he saw Astoria looking at him with a pleading look on her face. He helped Dorcas off the broom and held out his hand to Astoria.

"Come on then Tori" said Harry.

She climbed onto the broom with his help and he flew around the pitch once more before returning her to her seat. After this he flew off towards where the rest of his teammates were floating in the centre of the pitch smirking at him.

"If your about done with your girlfriend Potter" said George.

"Its time to get our cup" said Fred.

Harry jokingly glared at the two before they all flew to the teachers stand where Dumbledore and Mcgonagall were waiting with the Quidditch Cup.

They all landed on the stand and dismounted their brooms making their way over to the two.

Oliver received the trophy from Mcgonagall before the team grouped close together and turned around.

Oliver lifted the cup into the air as most of the stadium burst into applause and cheers of "We are the champions" and "Go, go Gryffindor" which Mcgonagall also joined in with.

The celebration party in Gryffindor Tower went on till about 3 in the morning when Mcgonagall returned to the common room and calmly told the majority that were still partying in the common room to go to bed.


	10. Chapter 10

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

21st April 1992

Harry, Joe and Katie walked into the Great Hall for breakfast with varying degrees of tiredness and exhaustion making their way over to where Alex and Susan were sat on the Ravenclaw table eating their breakfast. They sat down next to them and helped themselves to the food.

"Long night?" said Alex in amusement.

"That's what happens when you party until 3 in the morning, even Mcgonagall partied with us until 1ish" said Harry yawning slightly as he piled sausages and bacon onto his plate.

"I'm guessing you only stopped when she told you to go to bed then?" said Susan.

"Yeah, the majority of us were still up when she came back, don't tell anyone this but Wood and the Twins managed to get some firewhisky from who knows where, those 3 and Lee Jordan are still in bed" said Joe.

"They won't be getting up for a few hours" said Katie.

"How much did they have?" said Alex.

"Not a lot, but enough to get them a little bit tipsy, thank god Mcgonagall never found out what they did" said Joe.

"Wow, lucky them, at least its Sunday so they can afford to have a lie in" said Susan.

"Yeah, we need to wake up a bit though, we have to choose our new subjects for third year with Professor Mcgonagall today" said Harry.

"Got any ideas?" said Alex.

"Been looking at Care Of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy, I'll speak to Mcgonagall about those first though" said Harry.

"Ancient Runes and Arithmancy" said Katie.

"Care Of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes" said Joe.

"From what I've heard from other people, those 3 subjects are the only new subjects which are worth taking, Divination is pants unless your a seer, and Muggle Studies is about 100 years out of date" said Alex.

"Yeah, pity Divination is really hyped up though, when some students read that you can predict the future they decide to take it, if only they knew how useless Divination really is" said Katie eating a slice of toast.

"What times your meeting with Mcgonagall anyway Harry?" said Susan.

"1.30" said Harry eating a piece of sausage.

The five continued talking and eating before making their way to the Library to work on their homework until it was time for Harry's meeting with Mcgonagall.

Harry was stood outside the old oak door leading into Professor Mcgonagall's office. He knocked on the door.

"Come in" said Professor Mcgonagall from behind the door.

Harry opened the door and walked inside shutting the door behind him.

Professor Mcgonagall was sat at her desk with a small pile of parchment and a quill in her hand.

"Mr Potter, please take a seat, we'll begin your meeting in a few moments.

Harry made his way over to the desk and sat down opposite her.

She finished writing something on a piece of parchment before setting her quill down and looking at him.

"Well Mr Potter, I hope you have read the material on the new subjects which was provided to you to help you decide which subjects you wish to choose for next year" said Mcgonagall.

"I have yes, and I think I know what subjects I wish to study next year" said Harry.

"That is good to hear, but all the same it would be best for me to give you an overview of each subject to help finalise your decision" said Mcgonagall.

"Of course" said Harry.

Professor Mcgonagall spent the next 10 minutes briefly explaining each of the five subjects in detail including details of some of the work included in each of them.

"So Mr Potter, have you decided which subjects you wish to take next year?" said Mcgonagall.

"I wish to take Arithmancy and Care Of Magical Creatures" said Harry.

Mcgonagall managed a small smile.

"A good choice, the same subjects your Mother chose when she was your age" said Mcgonagall with a faint hint of sadness in her voice.

"You miss her, don't you?" said Harry sadly.

"Yes, and your Father, congratulations for yesterday as well, watching you up there brought back so many memories of your Father, they both would have been proud of you" said Mcgonagall.

She opened the drawer on the right side of her desk.

"Thank you Professor, that really means a lot to me" said Harry with a sad smile.

"Here, years ago when Sirius asked me for photos of your parents for your photo album, I am shamed to say that I lied to him when I told him I had none, I wanted to give you these" said Mcgonagall with light tears in her eyes as she took a small stack of photos out of the drawer and looked at them.

"But a selfish part of me refused to part with them, because I didn't want to part with the things that helped me remember two of the finest people I have ever met" continued Mcgonagall holding out the stack of photo's towards Harry.

"Professor I..." started Harry.

"No, you take them, they belong to you, you may find some in there that you like" said Mcgonagall.

Harry took the photos from her.

"Thank you Professor" said Harry smiling as he placed the photos in his pocket.

She pulled her handkerchief out of her pocket and wiped her eyes with it.

"You can leave now Mr Potter, good luck" said Mcgonagall.

Harry bid her goodbye before standing up and leaving the room.

Harry spent that night looking at the stack of photos of his parents from their school years and their time in the Order of The Phoenix with smiles and sadness before placing them on his bedside table and going to sleep.

22nd April 1992

Alex was sat next to Anthony Goldstein in their Charms lesson that they shared with Gryffindor as Professor Flitwick finished his register.

"Now class, I'm sure your all well aware that your end of year exams will be starting next week, the exams that you will receive for Charms will be a small written exam and an accompanying practical exam focused on all the work you have done this year, these exams are very important since you need to pass them in order to return next year and your results will determine your individual rank for your year group, so study everything you have learned and do your best" said Flitwick.

Alex glanced around the room and noticed a few nervous faces from the students including Neville, Ron, Lavender and Terry Boot.

"I will not be teaching you anything new in your lessons between now and the end of the year, so I suggest you use the rest of this lesson and the remaining lessons before your exams to prepare yourselves for them" said Flitwick.

Alex got his copy of "Magical Theory" out of his bag and began to read through it as the rest of the class read from their notes, their books or practised the spells they had learned over the year.

Alex and the others managed to get through their exams with ease over the next week. At the end of the exams Alex was confident that he would be one of the top students in first year.

8th May 1992

Harry was sat on his bed at nearly midnight still wearing his jeans and shirt from that day. He was looking at The Marauders Map when something caught his eye.

Neville, Ron and Hermione were moving along the forbidden third floor corridor.

"Unbelievable, they can't surely be thinking of going after what might be the Philosophers Stone" thought Harry in annoyance.

He folded up the map and placed it in his pocket.

Harry got off his bed and grabbed his invisibility cloak from his trunk.

He made his way over to Joe's bed and gently tried to wake him up but got no response.

Harry gave up trying to wake Joe up and left their dormitory and headed out of Gryffindor Tower.

He donned the invisibility cloak and made his way to the third floor corridor in pursuit of Neville, Ron and Hermione.

As he was walking down the staircase he checked the map and noticed that they had entered a room at the end of the third floor corridor before disappearing.

"Where could they have gone" thought Harry as he placed the map back in his pocket.

He made his way down the third floor corridor and arrived at the door where the trio had entered before they disappeared from the map.

He quietly opened the door and almost gasped in shock.

There was a giant three headed dog asleep at the opposite end of the room.

Harry looked around the room and saw a large golden harp next to the door.

Creeping towards the harp he noticed that there was a square hole in the floor 10 feet away from where he was stood but unfortunately a mere 5 feet from the dogs front paws.

Harry swallowed and donned the invisibility cloak. He crept towards the square hole knowing the dog would still be able to smell him if it woke up despite it being unable to see him.

As he stood 1 foot the hole he saw the dog begin to stir.

He quickly removed the cloak and jumped down into the hole landing on something really soft.

"Devils snare" thought Harry getting out his wand as vines began to wrap themselves around him.

"Lumos Maxima" said Harry pointing his wand at the vines which removed themselves from his body causing him to fall 15 feet to the floor.

He landed on his feet and noticed his invisibility cloak lying on the ground. He picked it up and stuffed it under his shirt before walking off down a corridor to his right.

"Lumos" said Harry.

After 5 minutes of walking he came to a large room with a high ceiling with a large wooden door at the end of it.

Looking up towards the ceiling he saw hundreds of keys with wings flying around the room.

He walked over to the door and to his surprise he discovered that the key was still inside having had its wings broken by whoever used it last. He unlocked the door and entered a dark corridor.

He kept his wand in front of his face with his Lumos spell illuminating the corridor.

After a few minutes of walking he arrived in a large chamber roughly half the size of the Great Hall lit by torches and fire pits.

He looked around the room and saw several large chess pieces as well as several smashed pieces littering the edge of the room. Looking down at the floor to see it was patterned like a chessboard confirmed his suspicions that it was some sort of test.

Harry looked over to his left and saw two figures at the side of the room. One was laying on the floor unmoving and the other was crouched by their side with their back to Harry.

Harry ran over to them and saw that it was Ron who was lying unconscious on the floor with Hermione knelt at his side. She turned around in shock to see him there.

"What are you-?" started Hermione as Harry crouched down next to her and checked Ron.

"Never mind that, where's Longbottom?" interrupted Harry pointing his wand towards Ron.

"Ennervate" said Harry causing Ron to stir slightly.

Hermione looked at Ron and gave a sigh of relief.

"Where is he, you need to tell me now" said Harry.

Ron groaned.

Hermione pointed to a door to the right of Harry at the end of the room.

"Down there, he went to stop Snape" said Hermione.

Harry stood up.

"As much as I can't stand the man, I doubt Snape is the one behind this, Weasley will wake up soon, go and get help when he does" said Harry.

He ran towards the door and down the steps.

When he reached the bottom of the steps he saw that his path was blocked by a huge ring of fire.

"It seems we have a new visitor, interesting" said a sickly voice.

The flames died down.

Harry looked into the room where there was a large 15 foot high mirror encased in a centuries old golden frame. To his surprise Professor Quirrell was stood in front of the mirror looking directly at him. He was missing his turban revealing his completely bald head to Harry.

On the left side of the room lay Neville who had blood leaking down his face from a wound on his head.

"Come" commanded Quirrell.

Harry felt an invisible rope pull him towards Quirrell as the flames returned trapping them both in the room.

"Well well, Harry Potter, a surprise to see you down here" said Quirrell.

Harry kept his wand at his side ready to strike.

"Relax Mr Potter, I'm not going to kill you, we have need of you yet, the boy over there was not so helpful" said Quirrell.

Harry fixed him with a glare.

"So tell me Quirrell, where is your coward of a master hiding, I know he is here" said Harry.

A high pitched laugh erupted from where Quirrell was stood but Quirrell had not opened his mouth.

"I am here with you Potter, you need only look, Quirrell, turn around so I can face this boy" said the same voice Harry had heard earlier.

Quirrell turned around so his back was facing Harry. To Harry's horror there was another face at the back of Quirrell's head with blood red eyes and a flattened nose.

Harry laughed.

"So, the mighty Dark Lord, hiding in the body of weak minded man, oh how the mighty have fallen" said Harry mockingly.

Voldemort let out an evil laugh that sent chills up Harry's spine.

"You have a lot of bravery for such a foolish person that you are, but that matters not, you are here to serve a purpose, that purpose is to get the Philosophers Stone for me" said Voldemort.

Harry laughed.

"And what makes you think I will" said Harry.

Harry felt himself be pulled closer to the mirror.

"If you don't, then I will kill you and the precious Boy Who Lived, then I will go back upstairs and kill the other two, I'll slaughter everyone in the castle if that's what it takes to get the Stone, you should know by now that I don't care who I have to kill to get what I want" said Voldemort.

Knowing he was speaking the truth Harry walked towards the mirror and looked at it.

He saw his own reflection looking back at him. To his shock his parents approached him and stood either side of him. He saw his reflection take a shiny red stone out of his pocket before returning it to the same pocket.

Suddenly Harry felt the weight of an object land in his pocket.

"I've got it" thought Harry.

"Well boy, what do you see?" said Quirrell.

"I'm the Minister For Magic" said Harry sarcastically.

"Tell the truth, what have you seen!?" shouted Voldemort.

"Nothing that concerns you" said Harry.

Voldemort snarled.

Harry quickly pointed his wand towards Quirrell's face.

"Lumos Maxima!" shouted Harry as the room was engulfed in white light.

Quirrell and Voldemort screamed as they couldn't see.

Harry removed the invisibility cloak and covered himself before moving away.

When the light died down Quirrell was looking round the room in anger.

"Where are you Potter!?" shouted Quirrell.

Harry moved quietly around the room always keeping an eye on Quirrel making sure he didn't hear him or notice anything that would give away his position.

"That will be enough Quinnius" said a booming grandfather like voice as the flames vanished.

Dumbledore was stood facing Quirrell with a look of intent and anger on his face.

Harry removed the invisibility cloak and went to check on Neville.

Once he checked Neville was okay he turned back to where Dumbledore and Quirrell were stood.

"I may be gone for now Dumbledore, but I will be back one day" said Voldemort snidely.

To Harry's shock a dark mist burst out of Quirrell's mouth and flew back up the staircase leaving the room.

Quirrell just looked at Dumbledore before he screamed and his body turned to dust leaving his robes lying on the floor.

Dumbledore put his wand away and made his way over to Harry and Neville.

He helped revive Neville before the three left the room reuniting with Ron and Hermione before they all left and travelled up to the Hospital Wing where Neville and Ron were placed in beds. Dumbledore then escorted Harry and Hermione back to Gryffindor Tower not saying a word to either of them.

Harry laid down in his bed and removed the Philosophers Stone from his pocket. He spent the next 5 minutes looking at it before placing the stone inside one of his socks and hiding it in his trunk.

The next day Harry, Joe and Katie were sat up in Harry and Joe's room where he filled them in on all the details from the previous night and showed them the Stone. Like Harry though they were rather concerned about how Dumbledore did not realise that one of his greatest enemies was hiding under his nose for nearly a year.

20th May 1992

Harry, Joe and Katie were sat with the Weasley Twins and Lee Jordan at the Gryffindor table for the leaving feast. They were all dressed in their school robes and hats while green Slytherin banners decorated the Great Hall signifying that Slytherin had once again won the House Cup.

Professor Dumbledore stood up causing everyone in the Great Hall to turn to him.

"Another year has gone, a very eventful one it seems, but before we begin our feast, the House Cup must be awarded, in fourth place Gryffindor with 312 points" said Dumbledore.

Harry, Joe and Katie shook their heads in disappointment along with the rest of the Gryffindor table.

"In third place, Hufflepuff with 390 points" said Dumbledore.

Most of the Great Hall applauded.

"In second place, Ravenclaw with 427 points" said Dumbledore.

There were noises of applause and cheers from around the Great Hall.

"And in first place, Slytherin with 472 points" said Dumbledore causing the Slytherin table to cheer.

Harry, Joe and Katie shook their heads in annoyance and disgust knowing Snape had made sure Slytherin won the cup yet again.

"Well done Slytherin, but I have a few more words to say, recent events have not been rewarded yet, I have a few last minute points to give out" said Dumbledore as the Slytherin table fell quiet.

"Firstly to Miss Hermione Granger, for outstanding logic in dangerous situations, I award Gryffindor House 60 points" said Dumbledore as various parts of the hall clapped and cheered.

"Secondly to Mr Ronald Weasley, for superior chess skills and courage in the face of danger, Gryffindor House, 60 points" said Dumbeldore.

To Harry, Joe and Katie's disgust Ron seemed to enjoy soaking up all the attention.

"And lastly, to Mr Neville Longbottom, for pure love and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor House 60 points" said Dumbledore causing most of the Great Hall minus the Slytherin table to break out in cheers knowing what had just happened.

Dumbledore waited for the cheers to die down.

"If I am correct, then I believe a change of decoration is in order" said Dumbledore clapping his hands once.

The banners around the Great Hall changed from the Slytherin green to the Gryffindor red.

"Gryffindor wins the House Cup" said Dumbledore causing the Great Hall minus the Slytherin table to cheer again.

Joe and Katie looked towards Harry who had a look of disinterest on his face.

"So the manipulative old man rewards them but not you, talk about favouritism" said Joe.

"Not surprised, after all if he rewarded me, he would have to tell everyone that Longbottom was unconscious at the time I was there, and he would never do that" said Harry.

"Hey Harry, we know what you did, as do Alex, Sue and all the others, your a hero" said Katie.

Harry laughed.

"Well, I could definitely get used to being called a hero" said Harry jokingly causing Joe and Katie to laugh.

The next day they were all on the train making the return journey to Kings Cross.

Alex, Susan, Daphne, Tracey and Blaise were all sharing a compartment once again.

"Well that was certainly an eventful year" said Susan who was sat leaning into Alex.

"Yeah, but I'm actually hoping for a quiet year next year, given some of the things that happened this year" said Alex.

"I'd second that" said Tracey.

"Yeah, especially given all that's happened this year, troll attack on Halloween, and You-Know-Who having possessed a teacher for an entire year, how could people have missed that?" said Daphne.

"You know Dumbledore, thinks Hogwarts is some sort of impenetrable fortress, when in reality its not" said Blaise.

"Yeah, couldn't believe what happened last night though, he awards points to Longbottom, Weasley and Granger, yet deliberately ignores Harry who stood against You-Know-Who on his own" said Susan.

"Yeah, his laughter was enough to send chills down my spine, can't believe that Lumos Maxima trick worked though, dumb luck I guess" said a voice from the doorway.

They turned to see Harry who walked into their compartment and sat down in the empty seat next to Tracey.

"Sometimes a bit of dumb luck is all that's needed, besides it worked in the end" said Alex.

"Yeah, you know Dumbledore asked me if I had the Stone the next day" said Harry.

"Did you to him?" said Daphne.

Harry chuckled before pulling the stone out of his pocket.

"Nope, never planned on giving it to him, Aunt Marlene managed to locate the Flamel's a few days ago, they're coming round tomorrow to retrieve the Stone" said Harry.

Tracey looked at him and held out her hand.

"May I?" said Tracey.

"Sure" said Harry placing the Stone in the palm of her hand.

Tracey and Blaise looked at it with fascination before handing it to Alex, Susan and Daphne so they could have a look before they returned it to Harry who pocketed it.

They kept talking for a few minutes before Harry stood up and returned to the compartment where Joe and Katie were waiting for him.

24th May 1992

Harry, Alex, Dorcas, Sirius and Marlene were all sat on the settee's in the upstairs sitting room at Grimmauld Place. Today was the day that they were going to return the Philosophers Stone to the Flamel's who were due to arrive any minute.

Suddenly the fireplace roared to life with green flames before a man and a woman stepped out.

Surprisingly Nicholas and Perenell Flamel looked remarkably young for people who are over 600 years old.

Nicholas was tall with greying black hair and a few hints of wrinkles on his face. He was dressed in crimson wizard robes and wearing spectacles. Perenell looked like she was in her 40's with long blonde hair and unblemished white skin. She was dressed in a dark green dress.

"Lord and Lady Flamel welcome" said Sirius standing up to greet them.

He gave Nicholas a handshake and kissed Perenell's knuckles before turning to the others who stood up and made their way over to them.

"Allow me to introduce my wife Marlene, my son Alexander and my daughter Dorcas" said Sirius gesturing to each person in turn.

The Flamel's greeted them before Sirius gestured to Harry.

"Also allow me to introduce my godson, Harry Potter-Peverell" said Sirius.

The Flamel's turned to Harry who greeted both of them the same way Sirius did.

"A pleasure to meet you Mr Potter-Peverell, we knew your grandparents Charlus and Dorea many years ago, you look remarkably like him" said Nicholas.

"Thank you Lord Flamel, and you may call me Harry if you wish" said Harry.

"A pleasure to meet you Harry, and you have our many thanks for your actions regarding the Philosophers Stone, many people would have chosen to keep it for themselves in your situation" said Perenell.

"No thanks are needed Lady Flamel, I was merely doing what was right" said Harry reaching into the pocket of his robes and pulling out a small black box.

He handed the box to Nicholas who opened it to see the Stone inside.

"I was very sceptical when Dumbledore wrote to me about hiding the Stone at Hogwarts, we were great friends once but that friendship has faded over the last 10 years, I am glad you returned this to us, a part of me told me that he might not have done so" said Nicholas.

"Quite a few people will agree with you on that Lord Flamel" said Sirius.

"Thinking about that has helped us reach a decision, we are going to destroy the stone" said Perenell causing the others to look shocked.

"But you'll die" said Alex.

Nicholas smiled.

"I'm 665 years old Heir Black, Perenell is 660, we have lived a very long and happy life, there is no shame in dying, for death is the next great adventure" said Nicholas.

"Why now though?" said Harry.

"When you told us that Voldemort tried to steal the stone, we realised that he would not be the last one to try, we realised that the Stone must be destroyed so that no one else can use its power" said Nicholas.

"We have enough Elixir Of Life to get our affairs in order before we go, I imagine it will be as simple as falling asleep" said Perenell.

The others nodded solemnly in understanding.

The Flamel's stayed for a few hours enjoying lunch and drinks with them before bidding them farewell and leaving.

 **A/N: For people who are asking when my other HP story The Forgotten Hero Part II will be updated I can say it will be soon and completed in the next few weeks.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter and reviews are greatly appreciated**


	11. Chapter 11

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

2nd June 1992

Alex and Dorcas were sat on one of the settee's looking at the photo album from their parents at school.

Harry had gone with Katie to stay at Joe's family home Gerrard's Manor just outside Godric's Hollow a few days previously.

They found a picture of Sirius, James, Remus and Peter Pettigrew from what looked like their fourth year. The four were sat outside on the grass laughing and smiling in the moving picture.

Dorcas traced her finger over the face of Remus in sadness. Alex wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his chest as Sirius and Marlene entered the room.

They walked over to them.

"What are you two looking at?" said Sirius smiling.

They turned to look at them.

"A picture of you and the Marauders from school, from your fourth year by the looks of it" said Alex.

Sirius sat down on the settee next to Dorcas while Marlene sat next to Alex who handed Sirius the album.

Sirius looked at the photo with a sad smile.

"Things were different back then, we were just four kids without a care in the world, now look at us, one dead, one a traitor in hiding, one who doesn't want to be found, and then there's me, the only one who seems to have a life worth living" said Sirius sadly.

Dorcas untangled herself from Alex and leaned into Sirius who wrapped his arms around her.

"Do you think Uncle Remus will ever come back?" said Dorcas sadly.

Marlene sighed.

"I don't know, most people don't realise that he lost more in the last war than we all did, living in this world has bought him more pain than happiness" said Marlene.

"What do you mean Mum, you lost your whole family, same with Harry" said Alex in confusion.

Marlene nodded.

"That's true, but with Remus it was different, he always struggled through life due to his condition, and things only got worse after school, given that certain individuals in the Ministry made it impossible to get a job" said Marlene.

"It was really that bad for him" said Dorcas in shock.

"Yes, and then there was what happened with Dorcas Meadowes, she would have been your Godmother had she lived, Remus wouldn't allow himself to get close to her at first, he kept telling her she deserved better than a werewolf but she never listened to that, it took me and James constantly telling him to give her a chance before they finally got together in our 7th year, next thing we knew they were engaged, then she was killed by Voldemort" said Sirius.

Alex and Dorcas nodded solemnly since they had heard this part of the story before.

"He was never the same after that, he really let his werewolf side out and began killing the Death Eaters whenever he ended up fighting them, the war changed him a lot" said Marlene sadly.

"Was that why he left?" said Alex.

"Partly, but not the main reason… I'm about to tell you something that we've never told you before, about how he met Peter" said Sirius.

Alex and Dorcas looked at each other in confusion before looking at their Father once again.

Marlene reached over Alex and Dorcas and held Sirius's hand nodding at him to tell them.

"Remus didn't meet us straight away, he actually met Peter first when they were on the train, the two ended up sharing a compartment, Peter was this shy socially awkward kid who could never stand up and defend himself, Remus took pity on him and became friends with him from when they first met" said Sirius with a hint of anger in his voice towards the end.

Dorcas squeezed her Father getting him to calm down slightly before kissing her forehead.

"So when we became friends with Remus, naturally we became friends with Peter as well, the two were very close over the years, and after all the hurt he had suffered, losing his fiancée, his parents, all our other friends, Peter's betrayal was just the final nail in the coffin, so he left the wizarding world behind" said Sirius with tears forming in his eyes.

Dorcas hugged her Father tightly.

Alex stood up and moved to Sirius's other side and hugged him.

"I hope he comes back" said Dorcas.

"We hope so too" said Marlene standing up and moving behind Sirius wrapping her arms around him and leaning her head into his shoulder.

3rd June 1992

Harry, Joe and Katie were walking through the streets of Godric's Hollow.

Harry was dressed in a blue t-shirt and denim three-quarters and was carrying a bouquet of assorted flowers in his hands. Joe was dressed in a black shirt and jeans. Katie was dressed in a red hoodie and a black skirt.

They arrived at the church and walked into the graveyard which had a few people walking and kneeling around the graves.

They arrived at a large headstone near the church.

 _Here lies_

 _James Charlus Potter_

 _Loving Father and Husband_

 _Born 12th March 1958_

 _Died 4th November 1981_

 _Lily Kathryn Potter_

 _Loving Mother and Wife_

 _Born 21st November 1957_

 _Died 4th November 1981_

 _Together in life. Together in death._

Harry knelt down in front of the grave and placed the flowers in front of the grave. He ran his hand over his parents names.

"Hey Mum, hi Dad" said Harry sadly.

Joe put his hand on Harry's shoulder causing him to turn and look at him.

"We'll give you some time alone" said Joe.

Harry nodded and turned back to face the grave as Joe and Katie left.

"Its Harry, I'm sorry I haven't been able to come by for a while" said Harry tears forming in his eyes.

He looked down at the ground and let some tears fall before looking back at grave.

"I really miss you guys, I… I'm sorry I have to go now, sleep tight, I'll come back and visit soon" said Harry choking with tears when he paused.

He kissed the palm of his hand and placed it on top of the grave before standing up.

"Goodbye" said Harry wiping the tears from his eyes.

He walked away from the grave before something on a nearby grave caught his eye.

A symbol was carved into the top of the headstone. It was a large triangle with a single line running down the middle. At the bottom of the line was a circle encased in the triangle.

Harry knew he had seen the symbol before.

"Could it be" said Harry in deep thought.

He approached the grave and wiped the dirt and dust off of it revealing the writing.

 _Here Lies_

 _Ignotus Artorius Peverell_

 _Father and Husband_

 _Born 12th July 1214_

 _Died 19th May 1292_

 _Humble even in death_

Harry gasped.

"I never saw this grave when I came here with Sirius and Marlene" thought Harry.

He stayed with the grave for a few moments before spotting Joe and Katie stood together at a grave 30 feet away from him.

Katie had her arms wrapped around his shoulders and was leaning her head into his right shoulder.

He made his way over to them and placed his hand on Joe's left shoulder.

He looked down at the grave and gave a sad smile.

 _Here lies_

 _Gerrard Grant Harris_

 _Devoted Father, Grandfather and Husband_

 _Born 18th April 1920_

 _Died 21st May 1989_

 _The finest man we ever knew_

Harry turned to look at Joe who turned his head to face him.

"Your Grandfather?" said Harry.

Joe turned back to the grave and nodded.

"Yeah, he was the greatest man I ever knew, and a very powerful wizard, he'd have liked you" said Joe sadly.

Harry smiled.

"I would have loved to have met him" said Harry.

"Me too" said Katie.

Joe laughed slightly.

"Oh he would've loved you Katie, he loved women who had a bit of fire in their bellies" said Joe laughing.

Harry and Katie laughed lightly with him before the three left the graveyard and kept walking down the street.

Eventually they came to a stop in front of a small house with signs of abandonment and neglect. The grass in front of the house hadn't been cut for years and had grown to about 2 feet in height.

"I haven't been back here since that night, neither have Sirius and Marlene" said Harry sadly.

Katie moved over to Harry and wrapped her right arm around his shoulder while Harry took her right hand in his.

"Its okay Harry, we're here if you need us" said Katie.

Harry squeezed her hand.

"Thanks guys" said Harry pausing for a few moments to stare at the house.

"Come on, lets go" said Harry not wanting to stay outside the house for any more time.

The three walked away from the house and back into the market part of the village.

They spent the next two hours walking around the hidden magical market located inside an abandoned bakers. They brought some sweets and small joke products before leaving the market and heading for The Hollow pub for lunch.

Later that night the three were telling Joe's Mother, Father and Maternal Grandmother all about their day while they were eating dinner that night.

"So you went to see the cottage Harry" said Joe's mother Mary.

She was around 35 years of age with long blonde hair dressed in a formal evening gown.

Harry nodded.

"Yes, its the first time I've been back since the night my parents died" said Harry.

Joe placed his hand on Harry's shoulder in support.

"You don't have to talk about that if you don't want to Harry" said Joe's Father David.

He was around 35 years of age with short brown hair dressed in a shirt and tie.

"Its all right Mr Harper, it was just a shock being back there, even my godparents haven't ever gone back, the memory of that night is just too painful for them" said Harry.

"You know that cottage used to belong to your Great Aunt and Uncle, Mr Potter" said Joe's Grandmother Elizabeth.

She was around 70 years of age with long grey hair tied in a bun dressed in posh witch robes.

"Fleamont and Euphemia, I didn't know they lived in that cottage, did you know them?" said Harry with interest.

"I did, they were good people and great friends of me and Gerrard, your Great Aunt Euphemia preferred a life of solitude instead of a life constantly in the public eye like your Grandparents, your Great Uncle Fleamont was devoted to her, when she died of Dragon Pox he left the cottage and returned to Potter Manor, he couldn't bear to be alone in the cottage, your Father was only 15 at the time" said Elizabeth.

"Wow, I didn't know that much about Fleamont and Euphemia" said Harry.

"If you want to know more about them, you could go and see Bathilda Bagshot, she lives a few doors down from the cottage, she was quite close to Euphemia, she knew your parents a little bit as well" said Elizabeth.

Harry looked at her with interest as did Joe who hadn't been told any of this by his Grandmother.

"I thought she wasn't very fond of having visitors, I heard she had become a very private person in the last few years" said Harry.

"She has, but if you tell her your name she'll most likely let you in" said Elizabeth.

"We can go and see her soon if you want Harry?" said Katie.

"Do you want to go tomorrow?" said Joe.

"Sure" said Harry smiling at them before going back to eating his food.

After they finished their dinner the three practised their spell work in the special magic free room in the basement where their spell casting couldn't be detected by the Ministry.

They went to see Bathilda Bagshot the next day and spent a good hour and a half talking to her about Fleamont and Euphemia as well as some of the memories she had of James and Lily.

10th June 1992

Alex and Susan were walking through the private graveyard at Bones Manor. As a tradition each member of the Bones family was buried here after their deaths. Susan had a two Lilies in her right hand as she held onto Alex's arm for support.

The pair walked past the graves as Susan pointed out different family members and talked about them.

"That's Edward Bones, he was the man who forged the Great Alliance with Henry Potter and Francis Longbottom" said Susan pointing to a 500 year old statue of a man dressed in armour clutching a wand.

"Such a shame that means more to some people than it does to others" said Alex sadly.

Susan squeezed his arm before pointing out another grave which was the shape of a cross.

"That's my Great Grandfather Edric Bones, he was the man who defeated Dimitri Verkov, Grindelwald's top lieutenant and most powerful follower" said Susan.

"What happened to him?" said Alex.

"He was killed a few days later by Grindelwald's son, the one that vanished just before Grindelwald's duel against Dumbledore" said Susan.

"Brave man" said Alex.

Susan nodded.

"And here we are" said Susan coming to a halt in front of two graves.

 _Edgar Allan Bones_

 _Father, Brother and Husband_

 _Born 18th December 1952_

 _Died 20th October 1980_

 _Loyal until the end_

 _Maria Henrietta Bones_

 _Mother, Sister and Wife_

 _Born 28th March 1953_

 _Died 20th October 1980_

 _She was more beautiful than a rising sun_

"Your parents?" said Alex.

Susan nodded.

She knelt down and placed a lily on each of the graves.

"I was only 6 months old when they died, the only thing I have left of them are pictures" said Susan.

Alex placed his hand on her shoulder. She grasped it.

Alex looked at her Father's grave once again.

"Edgar Allan" said Alex in deep thought.

"My Grandfather had a fascination with the muggle writer Edgar Allan Poe, he told my Aunt and Father that story lots of times" said Susan slowly standing up to face him.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting that" said Alex.

Susan smiled at him before pulling away from him and staring into the distance with her back to him.

"Did I say something wrong?" said Alex sounding concerned.

Susan shook her head as Alex walked up to her.

"No, its just" said Susan before breaking off as tears started to fall down her face.

Alex wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his chest.

"What's wrong Sue, you can tell me" said Alex.

Susan wiped her eyes.

"If I didn't have any pictures of them, I wouldn't know what they looked like, I wouldn't even be able to picture them in my mind" said Susan.

Alex just took one of her hands in his and squeezed it in support.

"I don't remember anything about them, no memories of those 6 months I had with them, nothing" said Susan.

Alex gently moved her away from his chest before slowly turning her around to face him. He placed his hands on her cheeks and wiped the tears from her eyes with his thumbs.

"Even if you cannot remember them Sue, they are always in here" said Alex pointing his hand at her heart.

Susan wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"Mum says that to Harry sometimes when he goes through the same thing you're going through, he may have been 2 when his parents were killed but he knows what its like to have no memories of his parents" said Alex wrapping his arms around her.

"Its really good, your Mother was right, both of you are" said Susan.

Alex smiled and pressed her head into his shoulder.

"We can go back inside if you want" said Alex.

"Lets" said Susan.

Alex led her out of the graveyard and back to the Manor.

4th July 1992

Harry was stood in the main sitting room with Sirius, Marlene, Katie, Alex and Dorcas.

Harry was dressed in bottle green dress robes with his hair slicked back with gel. Alex and Sirius were dressed in dress robes Sirius's being dark blue and Alex's being black. Katie was dressed in a dark blue sleeveless dress with matching shoes. Marlene was dressed in a bronze strapless dress and high heels. Dorcas was dressed in a blue dress and black shoes.

"Its time to go, Harry, Katie, you two will come with me, Alex and Dorcas will go with Marlene" said Sirius checking his pocket watch.

Harry and Katie walked over to Sirius linking arms with him while Alex and Dorcas did the same with Marlene.

Sirius apparated them to Diagon Alley just outside of Flourish and Blotts.

The alley was only populated with a few people due to it being early evening.

Marlene, Alex and Dorcas appeared a few seconds later.

Marlene linked arms with Sirius.

"Come on, we're supposed to be meeting the others in five minutes" said Marlene.

They started walking up the street towards Emrys delicacies. As they neared the restaurant they saw that Amelia, Susan, Joe, Ted, Adromeda and Nymphadora were stood outside.

Joe was dressed in black high collar dress robes slightly resembling vicar's robes. Susan was dressed in a light purple gown. Amelia was dressed in an orange/yellow dress. Ted was dressed in a black suit and gold tie. Andromeda was dressed in a floor length strapless black dress. Nymphadora was dressed in a knee length purple sleeveless dress with her hair coloured violet for tonight.

They walked up to them and exchanged greetings.

"Happy birthday Harry" said Joe giving him a one armed hug which Harry returned.

The others said happy birthday to him before they made their way inside the restaurant.

Sirius walked up to the waiting desk which was occupied by a young brunette witch in her early twenties dressed in a black suit and skirt.

"We have a reservation for 7 o'clock, table for 16 in a private room, booked under Sirius Black" said Sirius.

The young witch smiled at him.

"Follow me to your room" said the Witch sweetly.

Sirius and the others followed her through a shiny wooden door at the back of the restaurant.

The room was fairly large lit by several candles with a large 13 seat circular oak table located in the centre. The table was covered with a white tablecloth with plates, cutlery and glasses assigned at each seat.

Marlene turned to the Witch who was eyeing Sirius with interest.

"We have four others who are due to arrive, please notify us when they are here" said Marlene.

The Witch nodded before leaving the room as Harry and the others sat down.

Harry sat down with Joe on his right and Alex on his left, Katie was sat next to Joe. Susan was sat next to Alex with Dorcas sat next to her, Dora sat down next to Dorcas. Sirius, Marlene, Amelia, Ted and Andromeda sat opposite Harry and the others.

A few minutes later the Witch reappeared and told them the others had arrived.

Sirius stood up and left the room to collect them. He returned a few minutes later with Daphne, Tracey, Blaise and Astoria.

Daphne was dressed in a sleeveless sky blue dress with her hair tied back into a ponytail. Tracey was dressed in a silver sleeveless dress similar to Daphne's. Blaise was dressed in black suit robes with a white shirt and green tie. Astoria was dressed in a violet strapless dress with her brown hair elegantly curled.

Each of them said Happy birthday to Harry before sitting down at the table. A male waiter dressed in black suit dress robes entered the room a minute later and took their orders.

Jugs of water, butterbeer and pumpkin juice appeared on the table. The kids filled their glasses with their preferred drink as Sirius, Marlene, Amelia, Andromeda, Ted and Dora ordered wine for themselves.

A few minutes later their chosen food appeared on their plates. They continued to make small talk as they ate and drank with Dora asking the kids questions about the school year and teasing Harry about taking Astoria for a ride on his broom after winning the Quidditch Cup causing Astoria to go slightly red.

They left the restaurant around 10 o'clock and taking a portkey back to Grimmauld Place where everyone bar the Tonks's stayed the night.

31st July 1992

Harry, Alex, Susan, Joe, Katie, Dorcas, Daphne, Tracey, Astoria and Blaise were sat in the man lounge chatting amongst themselves.

They were all dressed in their formal dining clothes ready to go for Alex's birthday meal at a new restaurant that Marlene had invested in called Magical Muggles which had recently opened and served a variety of both magical and muggle food and drinks.

The conversations quickly turned to Hogwarts.

"So Tori, are you excited to be going to Hogwarts next year?" said Alex.

"Yeah, I've been waiting years for this, and in a few weeks I'll be on my way there" said Astoria.

"What house do you think your going to?" said Katie.

Astoria shrugged.

"I don't know, I think I'm just going to wing it and see where I end up" said Astoria.

"Well I think your the first person I've heard say that, most people pick the houses they want rather quickly, and then they try and get the sorting hat to place them in that house" said Harry.

"Look at Ron Weasley for example, bravery and chivalry are the two most desired traits for Gryffindor, would anyone say he is either of those things" said Joe.

Most of the group shook their heads.

"Brave, probably not, chivalrous definitely not, he's rude and obnoxious, he spent the entire exam period leaning on Hermione to lend him her notes so he could pass his exams, he wasn't exactly kind about it either" said Susan.

"Wow, and here's me thinking what happened on Halloween changed him a lot, it barely made an improvement" said Katie.

"Yeah, allthough I think him and Longbottom are going to set a school record of most cauldrons destroyed by students, they destroyed 4 between them last year" said Blaise.

Harry and the others laughed.

"Oh dear, they might triple that next year, the potions get harder in 2nd year, they require a lot more attention to detail, one wrong move and Snape gives you zero marks" said Joe.

"He's been trying to do that to me for the last two years, but he never can because my Potions work is really good" said Harry.

"Yeah, just a shame we never made use of any of the other potions we made last year, the only one we used was laughing solution" said Joe.

"Well, you'll have to make use of some of the others this year, we all need a few extra laughs" said Daphne.

"I can't believe you guys get to go to Hogsmeade this year, we don't get to go until next year" said Alex.

"We had to wait the same amount of time you guys do as well, we'll bring things back for you as well so you won't be missing out completely" said Katie.

"I know, but seeing you guys being allowed to go to Hogsmeade makes us want to go even more" said Susan.

"Just be patient, you guys will get to go next year" said Harry.

"And I have to wait a whole 2 years before I can go, it will feel weird next year when all of you can go and I can't" said Astoria.

"Same here, I'm not starting Hogwarts until next year" said Dorcas sadly.

Harry wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug.

"I know your upset that you can't come to Hogwarts with us Dor, but you know we'll write to you whenever we can, besides I expect to see that Lions Rule banner at my next Quidditch game" said Harry.

"Even though that banner was half mine" said Astoria jokingly.

"Well you could make another one Tori, an improved one if you want" said Harry.

"I might just do that" said Astoria.

They kept talking until Sirius, Marlene, Amelia, Ted, Andromeda, Dora and Lucille Greengrass came into the room saying it was time to leave. They all took a portkey to the restaurant and had their own private room like they did at Emrys Delicacies. They enjoyed enjoyed the restaurant a lot with the group trying some of the muggle food and drinks recommended by the Tonks's and Katie including Pizza, burgers and fizzy drinks.

5th August 1992

Harry, Alex, Susan, Dorcas, Sirius, Marlene and Amelia flooed to the Leaky Cauldron from Grimmauld Place so they could go and pick up their school supplies.

"What time are you meeting Joe and Katie Harry?" said Marlene.

Harry checked his watch.

"They should be here in a few minutes" said Harry.

"Are you sure you three are going to be all right walking round the Alley on your own?" said Marlene.

"Well be fine Aunt Marls, were all 13" said Harry.

"Harry" shouted Joe who had just walked through the street entrance with Katie.

The two made their way over to him and said hello to the others.

"You guys ready to go then" said Harry.

"If your ready" said Katie.

"Okay kids, if you don't run into us in the Alley, meet us back here at half past 3" said Sirius.

"Okay" said Harry.

The three said their goodbyes before leaving the pub and entering the alley.

They headed to the bank first so they could withdraw their money and so Harry could visit his account manager.

Harry was escorted to Nordog's office by one of the goblins while Joe and Katie waited for him in the lobby.

Harry entered the office after knocking and being given permission to enter.

Nordog looked up from the papers on his desk.

"Ah Harry, what can I do for you today?" said Nordog.

"I would like to view a list of my investments and a list of my properties please Nordog" said Harry sitting down in the chair opposite the goblin.

"Of course, here they are" said Nordog taking two sheets of parchments out of one of his drawers and handing them to him.

Harry looked at the first sheet of parchment.

 _House Potter Investments_

 _The Daily Prophet (20%)_

 _Zonko's joke shop, Hogsmeade (12%)_

 _Sleekeazy's (35%)_

 _Quality Quidditch Supplies (8%)_

 _Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor (15%)_

 _Flourish and Blotts (18%)_

 _Gringotts branch, Diagon Alley (16%)_

 _House Peverell Investments_

 _Olivanders Wand makers (29%)_

 _International Magical Library, Norway (40%), (One of the founding families)_

Harry placed the parchment on the desk before looking at the second sheet.

 _House Potter Properties_

 _Potter Manor, Bristol (damaged, requires repairs)_

 _Potter Cottage, Godrics Hollow_

 _Hadrian Potter's Retreat, York_

 _Charlus Potter's Penthouse, New York_

 _House Peverell Properties_

 _Peverell Manor, Unknown (can only be accessed when Lord of House is of age)_

Harry handed both pieces of parchment back to Nordog who placed them back in his drawer.

"Is there any other business you wish to conduct today Harry?" said Nordog.

Harry took a sheet of parchment out of his pocket and handed it to Nordog.

"I would like to make these investments" said Harry.

 _Madam Malkins Robes for all Occasions – 1,500 Galleons_

 _Emrys Delicacies – 10,000 Galleons_

 _Magic and Muggle – 5,000 Galleons_

"Very well Harry, it shall be done" said Nordog.

Nordog placed the parchment in his drawer.

"That concludes our business for today Nordog, however I will require a goblin to take myself and my friends to our vaults" said Harry standing up and placing his right arm over his heart and bowing slightly.

Nordog repeated the action. He tapped a bell on his desk causing a familiar looking goblin to enter the room.

"Griphook, escort Heir Potter and his friends down to their vaults, his friends are waiting in the lobby" said Nordog.

Griphook escorted Harry back to the lobby before escorting Harry, Joe and Katie down to their vaults. They withdrew a couple of hundred Galleons each to pay for their school supplies and Hogsmeade trips.

Alex and Susan walked into Flourish and Blotts with Sirius, Marlene, Dorcas and Amelia to purchase their books for the year.

The shop was really crowded so they got in the queue to get their new books when they saw the reason the shop was so crowded stood at a desk near the back of the shop.

The famous author Gilderoy Lockheart was stood posing for pictures and discussing his books.

After they collected their books and made their way towards the till they heard Lockheart speak up.

"Is that really Neville Longbottom?" said Lockheart.

Neville swaggered up to the front and stood next to Lockheart.

"Ladies and gentlemen what an extraordinary moment this is, when young Neville came here to buy his books for the year including a copy of my autobiography Magical Me, he had no idea that he would be leaving here with free copies of my entire published works" said Lockheart as the two posed for pictures from various photographers.

They paid for their books before making their way towards the exit of the shop where they witnessed Arthur Weasley in some sort of heated discussion with Lucius Malfoy before Arthur launched himself at Lucius.

Sirius and Amelia ran over to them and pulled them apart giving them both warnings for fighting. Lucius scowled and made his way out of the shop followed by Draco Malfoy.

After they had picked up their school supplies they made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron where they saw Harry, Joe and Katie drinking butterbeer with the Weasley Twins.

At Harry's request the Twins travelled back to Grimmauld Place with them and spent the night after Sirius got permission from Arthur and Molly.


	12. Chapter 12

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

31st August 1992

Harry, Alex, Susan, Dorcas and Marlene emerged from the entrance onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters at half 10.

Harry, Alex and Susan pushed their trolleys towards the train before helping each other load them onto the train.

Harry said goodbye to the others before going off to find Joe and Katie.

Alex and Susan said their goodbyes before going off in search of a compartment. They found Daphne and Astoria stood looking out of the window in a compartment talking to someone.

Alex and Susan knocked lightly on the door before opening it and entering the compartment. The two girls turned to look at them as they placed their compartments in the overhead rack.

They closed the door and placed their luggage on the overhead rack.

They made their way over to the window where Marlene and Dorcas were stood with Lucille.

"Harry's compartment is a few doors that way" said Marlene pointing to her left.

The four kept talking with their families as Blaise, Tracey, Alex Davis and Beth Davis made their way over to them.

Tracey and Blaise said goodbye to the others before getting on the train and joining the others in their compartment.

They asked the two about their summer before waving goodbye to their families as the Hogwarts Express left Kings Cross.

 _7 hours later…_

Harry, Joe and Katie took their seats at the Gryffindor table close to the teachers table. Looking up and down the table they noticed that two particular students had still not entered the hall by the time the doors closed.

"Where's Weasel and Longbottom?" said Joe.

"No idea, hey Fred, where's your Brother and Longbottom?" said Harry turning to Fred who was sat with George, Lee, Angelina and Alicia.

Fred looked up and down the table.

"No idea, they were with us just outside the entrance to the platform, but we haven't seen them since" said Fred in confusion.

"Wonder where they got too" said George.

Harry was about to reply when the doors to the Great Hall opened.

Professor Mcgonagall walked in followed by the new first year students.

As they reached the teachers table Professor Mcgonagall began sorting the students.

Harry and the others watched in earnest as the students were sorted.

"Greengrass, Astoria" said Mcgonagall.

Astoria walked up and sat on the stool with confidence where Mcgonagall placed the hat on her head.

Astoria's sorting seemed to drag on for a few minutes before the hat had its answer.

"GRYFFINDOR" shouted the hat.

Astoria smiled as the Gryffindor table erupted into cheers. Harry and the others looked at each other in slight shock before Astoria walked over to them and took the empty seat next to Harry.

Astoria looked at them seeing the traces of shock on their faces.

"What?" said Astoria.

"Well that was certainly a surprise" said Harry as Lovegood, Luna was sorted into Ravenclaw.

"It told me it was either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, I guess it decided I would make a better Lion than Raven in the end" said Astoria.

"Well then, welcome to the Lions Den Tori" said Harry smiling.

She managed a small laugh before wrapping her arm around his chest and giving him a small hug.

After the sorting was over they all began eating their dinner.

"Wow, I guess she really did wing it with her sorting" said Tracey who was sat next to Daphne opposite Blaise at the Slytherin table.

"Believe it or not I had a feeling my Sister would be a Gryffindor, she's a lot like your typical Gryffindor, courageous, brave and confident" said Daphne.

Alex was sat at the Ravenclaw table catching up with Anthony and Padma when a large shadow zoomed past the window. This caused raised voices to be heard around the Great Hall before Professor Snape stood up and left a few minutes later.

"What was that?" said Alex.

"No idea, but it seems everyone is talking about it" said Padma.

"Whatever it was, it was big, it was the width of the window" said Anthony.

They ate their desserts before Professor Dumbledore stood to his feet.

"Prefects, escort the First Years to their dormitories now if you please" said Dumbledore before walking out of the Hall followed by Professor Mcgonagall.

The 5th year Gryffindor Prefect stood up and called the first years over to her.

"We'll see you in Gryffindor Tower Tori" said Katie.

She smiled and stood up walking over to the prefect along with the other first years including Ginny Weasley.

Harry and the others stood up from the table along with the Weasley Twins, Lee, Angelina and Alicia before making their way up to Gryffindor Tower.

After speaking the password they entered the tower where Astoria was looking around the room with the other first years. Harry, Joe and Katie sat down on one of the settee's where Astoria walked over and joined them.

"So Tori, why did the hat choose to place you in Gryffindor over Ravenclaw?" said Joe.

"It told me that I was knowledgable which was a ringer for Ravenclaw, but it said I had bravery and courage making me good for Gryffindor, then it decided that I would be better in Gryffindor, I bet the others were just as shocked as you though" said Astoria.

"You might be right about that, I mean you did say this summer that you weren't fussed about which house you would be sorted into" said Harry.

"Yeah, so I decided to let the Sorting Hat do all the work for me, and it worked out really well in the end" said Astoria.

The four kept talking before to their shock Neville and Ron entered the common room still dressed in their normal clothes.

Most of the students made their way over to them including the Weasley Twins.

"You really flew a car to Hogwarts" said a female voice.

"Yeah, we flew it from Kings Cross, we knew what we were doing" said Neville.

"I was the one driving, I've done it loads of times" said Ron.

"Yet you crashed into the Whomping Willow, great driving Ickle Ronniekins" said George.

"Not to mention you broke the Statute Of Secrecy since you were seen by Muggles" said Percy hotly.

"You what?" said Harry standing up and making his way over to them.

"So a few muggles may have seen us, who cares?" said Ron.

"Breaking the Statute Of Secrecy could land you in a lot of trouble" said Hermione in anger.

"But we didn't get into trouble, only detention and letters home" said Neville.

"You mean the Headmaster stopped you from getting into trouble with the Ministry, talk about favouritism" scoffed Joe.

"So what, everyone knows he protects those who are loyal to him" said Ron.

"Just because you didn't get into trouble, doesn't mean your Father won't, that was his car after all, what do you think the Ministry is going to do about that you idiot" said Astoria.

An argument broke out in Gryffindor Tower between multiple students about Neville and Ron's actions for several minutes before Professor Mcgonagall entered the common room and called for quiet.

She told them all to be quiet and stop discussing the incident causing most of the students to go to bed while Harry and the others stayed in the common room along with most of the upper years.

1st September 1992

Alex joined Susan at the Hufflepuff table for breakfast. They were sat next to Hannah, Sally-Anne, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Ernie Macmillan.

"You heard about Longbottom and Weasley?" said Hannah.

"What about them?" said Justin.

"They flew Arthur Weasley's car to Hogwarts last night during dinner, apparently they crashed into the Whomping Willow and were seen by some Muggle's in London" said Hannah.

"So they broke the International Statute of Secrecy" said Alex.

"I'd have thought that would be enough to get them expelled, yet here they are" said Susan spotting Neville and Ron entering the Great Hall.

"Dumbledore wouldn't go that far, its just a minor incident, they will have obliviated the Muggles" said Ernie.

"Surprising, given that it was him who added all the new regulations to the Statute" said Susan.

"Yeah well its surely not the first time he's bent the rules to help himself or someone else, or broke them in fact" said Alex.

A scoff could be heard from the Gryffindor table just behind Alex.

They turned to see Hermione looking at them.

"Come on, your really accusing Dumbledore of bending or breaking the rules, that's ridiculous" said Hermione.

"Why is that ridiculous Hermione?" said Susan.

"Because Dumbledore is not like that, he's the best Wizard alive today, why would he break the laws he put in place" said Hermione.

"Dumbledore is not everything he's made out to be in the books Hermione, don't get me wrong he's kind and caring, but he's also manipulative, ask your housemate Harry, he'll have a few things to tell you about Dumbledore" said Alex.

"What's he got to do with this?" said Hermione.

"Think back to the end of last year, Harry was the one who reached Quirrell before Dumbldore, had he not got there your friend Longbottom would have probably been killed given that he was unconscious, Harry held his own against one of the darkest wizards of all time" said Alex.

"What does that have to do anything?" said Hermione.

"Yet Harry was not praised for his efforts in protecting the stone, including getting it himself and lying to Voldemort about it, you, Longbottom and Weasley were given points, yet he wasn't given any, what does that tell you?" said Susan.

"Maybe Dumbledore forgot, that doesn't make him manipulative" said Hermione.

"No but stealing from dead people does" said Alex.

"Stealing, that's ridiculous" said Hermione scoffing.

"Another thing you should ask Harry about, ask him about how Dumbledore stole nearly 3 million galleons from his family, which is a very grave offence, something which the Goblins could've executed him for had Harry not pressed charges against him, the Potter's are one of the oldest families in Magical Britain, as are the Blacks, Bones and Longbottom's" said Alex.

"What about the Malfoy's?" said Sally-Anne.

"As much as my cousin would like to believe, he and his family are not as important as he would like to believe, they've only been here for about 200 years" said Alex.

"Your related to the Malfoy's" said Hermione in shock.

"All the Pureblood families are related in some way Ms Granger, either through blood or marriage, Draco's Mother Narcissa is my Father's older cousin, Harry's late Grandmother was my Great Aunt Dorea, I've even got a distant relation to the Weasley's" said Alex.

"No offence but that just seems like the old families have married into each other for years, even when they were marrying distant family members" said Hermione in shock.

"Your point is?" said Hannah.

"That sounds a lot like interbreeding between families, that is quite backwards" said Hermione.

Susan shushed her.

"Ms Granger, I would be very careful about who hears you say that, some of the people in this hall wouldn't take too kindly to their traditions being called backwards" said Alex.

"But, the Muggle world is much more advanced than this, we have planes, electricity and much more, we don't marry our own family members" said Hermione.

"This world is a lot different from the Muggle world Hermione, I'm a muggleborn just like you and I can tell that this world is advanced in its own way, Magical people have things that muggles will never have" said Sally-Anne.

A crash from further down the Gryffindor table interrupted their conversation.

An old grey owl carrying a red envelope had just crashed into a bowl of cereals in front of Ron who took the envelope from the owl.

"Oh no!" said Ron worriedly.

"Look everyone, Weasley's got a howler" said Astoria laughing.

Almost everyone in the Great Hall started laughing at Ron.

"Open it mate, it'll be worse if you ignore it" said Neville.

Ron nervously opened the envelope before a shrill voice caused him to drop it to the table.

"RONALD WEASLEY!" shouted Mrs Weasley from the Howler.

"HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED, YOUR FATHER'S NOW FACING AN ENQUIRY AT WORK AND ITS ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT, IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME" shouted Mrs Weasley.

Ron nodded rapidly.

The Howler turned to face Ginny Weasley.

"Oh and Ginny dear, congratulations on making Gryffindor, your Father and I are so proud" said Mrs Weasley in a calm voice.

The Howler stuck its tongue out at Ron before exploding in flame.

The students started laughing at him again.

While they were laughing a barn owl dropped a red envelope onto Neville's plate. The students on the Gryffindor table turned to look at him as he tried to be confident in opening the Howler.

"NEVILLE FRANCIS LONGBOTTOM, HOW DARE YOU FLY A CAR TO HOGWARTS BREAKING THE INTERNATIONAL STATUTE OF SECRECY IN THE PROCESS, I WAS FURIOUS TO RECEIVE THE LETTER FROM PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL AND YOU WILL SERVE YOUR PUNISHMENT LIKE A MAN, YOU BETTER STAY OUT OF TROUBLE THIS YEAR OR MYSELF AND YOUR MOTHER WILL BRING YOU HOME AND LOCK YOU IN THE HOUSE" shouted the furious hard voice of Frank Longbottom from the Howler.

The Howler burst into flames as Neville went from looking confident to looking embarrassed.

Nearly all of the Great Hall laughed at him.

Professor Dumbledore stood up.

"Silence" shouted Professor Dumbledore.

The Great Hall fell silent.

"Teachers will be handing out your timetables, then you will go to your lessons" said Dumbledore.

Professor's Mcgonagall, Snape, Sprout and Flitwick began walking down the tables handing out the timetables.

Astoria looked down at her timetable and groaned slightly.

"Great, I get Potions with the Slytherin's, Snape will probably bother me because I ended up in Gryffindor unlike Slytherin with my Sister, its the subject I was looking forward to the most as well" said Astoria in annoyance.

Katie chuckled and leaned over to her.

"Well if he does, I'm sure we can arrange for him to have a little accident again" whispered Katie winking at her.

"Keep an eye on your cauldron as well, Slytherin's have tried to chuck things in our cauldrons so many times" said Harry.

"Snivillus never did anything about that either" said Joe.

"But don't call him that, he looked like he wanted to murder a certain someone when they said it last year" said Katie looking at Harry.

"Hey that was an accident, it just slipped out" said Harry.

The others laughed at him.

"You mean you accidentally called him that" said Astoria chuckling slightly.

"Yeah, that was the only time I served detention with him, it was dreadful, I had to clean all of his first year cauldrons without magic, and someone had left something resembling cement in one of them" said Harry.

"How did you end up calling him Snivillus anyway" said Astoria.

"It was during one of his I hate James Potter rants, we ended up arguing and I just said it" said Harry.

"Snape looked like he wanted to murder him on the spot" said Joe.

"The entire classroom went silent, we thought you two were going to start cursing each other as well" said Katie.

"Wow, I hope my Potions lessons are that exciting" said Astoria smirking slightly.

"You really are brave to want to see a murderous Snape Tori" said Harry in mild shock.

"Like they say, in Gryffindor where dwells the brave of heart" said Astoria proudly.

"Well I think your Sister will be slightly miffed with us, given that we have corrupted her dear little sister into the ways of the lions" said Joe jokingly.

Astoria laughed at him before they all left for their lessons.

Harry and Joe made their way towards the Forbidden Forrest for their first Care Of Magical Creatures lesson.

When the rest of the class arrived an elderly male teacher with his left arm and right leg missing. He was walking with the aid of an old wooden cane.

"I am Professor Grubbly-Plank, I will be your teacher for Care Of Magical Creatures, today I will be explaining the course objectives to you before we will be heading into the forest for today's lesson" said Grubbly-Plank.

He gave a brief explanation about the course objectives for the year as well as the safety rules they must follow before taking them into a small clearing the Forest. He then tasked them with identifying a Knarl from a group of Hedgehogs by offering them milk to see if the Knarl would be wary of accepting the milk.

Harry and Katie had their first Arithmancy lesson later that afternoon before dinner.

The black haired Professor Vector explained the course objectives to them before tasking them with reading the first two chapters of "A Beginners Guide to Arithmancy" for the rest of the lesson.

4th September 1992

Alex and Susan walked into their DADA lesson and took seats in the centre of the room. The room showed little signs of damage like someone or something had been throwing things about in the room.

"I think the rumours from yesterday might have been true after all" said Susan.

"I can't believe this place got ransacked by Cornish Pixies, how does a DADA teacher manage to let them destroy his classroom before his students have to stop them" said Alex.

"Unbelievable" said Susan.

"Unless he's a fraud" said Alex seriously.

Professor Lockheart entered the room a few minutes later as the last of the students sat down.

He picked up two piles of papers and handed them to the students sat on the front desks.

"Take one and pass them back" said Lockheart.

The students did as he said.

Alex picked up the parchment and looked at it in confusion.

 _1) What is Gilderoy Lockheart's favourite colour?_

 _2) What is Gilderoy Lockheart's favourite drink?_

 _3) In Holiday With The Hags, how did Gilderoy Lockheart describe his ideal partner?_

 _4) What would be Gilderoy Lockheart's ideal birthday present?_

Susan looked at Alex who looked at her in confusion.

She put her hand up.

"Yes miss?" said Lockheart.

"Susan Bones, Professor what does this quiz have to do with DADA?" said Susan.

"This is just a quick test, to see if you have read the course material" said Lockheart.

Alex put his hand up.

"Yes Mr?" said Lockheart.

"Alexander Black, when will we begin learning the spells for this year, these books didn't contain any mention of spells that we would learn this year" said Alex.

Professor Lockheart let a nervous look cross his face before smiling.

"Just concentrate on the quiz for now Mr Black, we'll be learning spells soon" said Lockheart.

Susan looked at Alex.

"You read his books?" said Susan in shock.

"Skimmed through them with Harry, from what we could tell he sounds like a fraud" said Alex.

Alex and Susan spent the next ten minutes trying to answer the questions but then gave up since they could not answer the questions.

After everyone was finished Professor Lockheart collected all of the papers up and began looking at them in disappointment.

"I see that barely any of you have read the course material, otherwise you would not have either left the questions blank or answered incorrectly, very well for the rest of the lesson you are to read any one of the course material books" said Lockheart disappointedly.

The class groaned before taking out their books. Those who did not bring the books decided to read some of their other books instead. Alex and Susan sat reading through their "Standard Book Of Spells Grade 2" books.

Later that day Harry, Joe, Katie, Alex, Susan, Daphne, Tracey, Blaise and Astoria were sat on the hill overlooking the Hagrid's hut and the Forbidden Forest.

"How are we going to pass our DADA exams this year, all we've learned is why not to let Cornish Pixies out of their cage" said Blaise.

"That and did a useless quiz about him and his books" said Daphne.

"We've not had much better, we were meant to be working on darker magical creatures this year but we haven't done any of that, unless you can count a vampire he supposedly defeated" said Harry.

"All we've done is act out scenes from his books, he tried to make me play a Hag from one of his books where he casts some sort of spell at me, he made Ginny Weasley do it when I wouldn't" said Astoria.

"We aren't going to pass our exams at this rate, not unless we teach ourselves" said Alex.

"Well we could teach you the second year spells, and the first year spells for you as well Tori" said Katie.

"What about you guys, don't you need someone to teach you the third year spells?" said Daphne.

"These two are the top students in DADA for a reason, we'll be able to teach ourselves as well" said Katie indicating her head at Harry and Joe.

"Even so, there's no way Dumbledore will sanction this, I doubt some of the other teachers will either" said Susan.

"They didn't hire a DADA teacher so that students could just teach themselves, that's his job" said Blaise.

"They don't have to know" said Joe.

"Where can we practise though, if we use empty classrooms then the teachers will find out" said Tracey.

"I may have an idea" said Harry.

"The Come and Go Room, the one that Dad told you about" said Alex.

"The what room?" said Astoria in confusion.

"Come on, we'll show you" said Harry standing up.

The group stood up and walked into the castle and up to the seventh floor with Harry and Alex leading the way. They came to a halt at a tapestry which showed Barnabus The Barmy trying to teach ballet to trolls.

Harry started pacing the wall opposite the tapestry.

"We need a place to learn Defensive magic" thought Harry repeating the phrase in his head multiple times.

A few of the others gasped.

A large double wooden oak door slowly materialised on the wall.

Harry turned to face the door and opened it walking inside.

Bookcases, large cushions, training dummies and Dark Arts detection items lined the walls of the room with a large empty space in the centre of the room.

"Wow" said Tracey in amazement.

"This is amazing" said Astoria.

"How have we not managed to explore this room until now" said Joe.

"Never thought about it, but it truly is amazing, they say the room can become whatever someone needs it to be" said Harry.

"But this is perfect" said Alex.

"Exactly what we need" said Susan.

"Lets have a look around for now, we can come back tomorrow to start practising" said Daphne.

"Good idea" said Harry.

They spent the next half an hour looking round the room inspecting the different books and Dark Arts detection items before leaving the room.


	13. Chapter 13

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

8th September 1992

Alex was sat at the desk in his room with his quill and parchment.

 _Dear Mum and Dad_

 _You might have heard some of this from Harry already but things have been interesting so far this year._

 _Firstly Dumbledore made sure Longbottom and Weasley escaped major punishment for their actions which isn't surprising given the way he was acting towards some of their actions last year. Rumour has it that Snape was pushing to have them expelled and wasn't happy when Dumbledore got them off._

 _Also Lockheart may be a bigger fraud than we think. All we've done in his lessons is some pointless quiz about his books and watch him and other students act out scenarios from his books. Were all teaching ourselves DADA instead, we found the Come And Go Room a few days ago, it works really well for teaching ourselves and we even found a few handy books in there as well._

 _Do you think you two could go to the board of governors about him. We've heard quite a lot of students complaining about his lack of teaching already, some even saying that they might not be able to pass their DADA exams because he won't teach us magic._

 _Not much else has happened so we may have a less interesting year than the last one._

 _Love Alex_

 _P.S Thanks for that improved copy of the Marauders Map that you gave me on my birthday. Its worked wonders with getting around Filch late at night._

Alex folded the parchment and placed it in an envelope.

Checking the time with the Tempus charm he saw that it was 8pm.

"I'll have to send it in the morning" thought Alex as he placed the envelope on the table next to his bed and left the room.

He walked down the steps towards the common room where he could hear the sounds of a small commotion.

He snarled in anger when he reached the bottom of the steps.

There was a small group of students in the common room.

He immediately recognised three of them as his fellow second years Michael Corner, Terry Boot and Lisa Turpin. He recognised most of the others as some of the older years including Roger Davies.

They were stood in a circle around a small blonde haired first year Alex recognised as Luna Lovegood and were throwing one of her books between them as she tried to retrieve it with a hurt look on her face.

"What's going on here?" said Alex angrily.

The short blonde haired Michael Corner caught the book before turning to look at him.

"Just messing around" said Michael casually.

"I'm not laughing, give her book back to her" said Alex.

Michael threw the book to Roger Davies.

"Give it back to her Davies, don't know why you're laughing though, a fourth year bullying a first year, big man you are" said Alex snidely.

Roger angrily threw the book to one of the others before rounding on Alex.

"Watch it Black, Potter's not here to protect you" said Roger.

"Who says I need protecting" said Alex drawing his wand.

He sharply pointed towards the student with the book.

"Accio book!" shouted Alex.

The book flew from the students hand and into Alex's hand.

Alex pointed his wand at Roger.

"Are you sure you want to try anything, I'm a Black remember, we invented most of the darker spells" said Alex.

Roger snarled but backed down.

Alex put his wand away before walking towards Luna who was looking at him in shock.

"Here you go, its Luna isn't it, Luna Lovegood" said Alex handing the book to her as more students arrived in the common room wondering what was going on.

Luna smiled at him.

"You are correct Alexander Black, thank you for returning my book to me, it seems the wrackspurts have infected their brains causing them to behave like that" said Luna.

Alex chuckled.

"You might be right about that Miss Lovegood" said Alex laughing.

"Not more of your stupid imaginary creatures Loony, I'm surprised you even got into this house" said the black haired Terry Boot causing Luna to frown and Alex to growl.

Some of the other students gasped at Terry's words.

"Leave her alone Terry, just because you don't understand what she is talking about, that doesn't give you the right to bully her about it" said Alex.

"Come off it Black, you can't seriously believe that those creatures she comes up with actually exist" said Roger Davies.

"Maybe, maybe not, but that doesn't give you the right to act like you are doing now, I'll only give you one warning, if any of you bully Luna again there will be consequences" said Alex.

Michael Corner scoffed.

"Yeah, what are you gonna do about it?" said Michael.

"Levicorpus" said Alex pointing his wand at Michael.

Michael screamed as he shot upwards until he was dangling upside down from the ceiling as though he was being held by an invisible hook.

"Let me down" shouted Michael slightly frightened.

"Not until you apologise" said Alex calmly.

Michael screamed in anger.

"Fine, but the spell takes half an hour to wear off, I guess I can leave you until then" said Alex.

"Fine" shouted Michael.

Michael turned to look at Luna.

"I'm sorry" said Michael.

Alex sighed and pointed his wand at Michael.

"Libracorpus" said Alex.

Michael fell down landing in a heap on the floor.

Alex turned to Luna.

"Has this happened before Luna?" said Alex sincerely.

Luna nodded.

"Yes, its happened once before" said Luna frowning.

Alex wrapped her in a hug catching her off guard before she slowly placed her arms around him for a few moments before letting go of each other.

"If you would like, meet me down here tomorrow before breakfast and you can come and sit with me and my friends" said Alex.

"Thank you, I'm glad the wrackspurts haven't infected your brain as well" said Luna.

"I'm glad for that too" said Alex.

Anthony and Padma returned a few moments later and joined Alex and Luna at one of the tables.

9th September 1992

Alex and Luna walked into the Great Hall.

They spotted Harry, Joe and Katie sat eating their breakfast at the Gryffindor table. They made their way over to them and sat down next to them.

"Morning, its about time you finally decided to join your much more handsome and talented Godbrother for breakfast" said Harry jokingly.

The others chuckled.

"Very funny Harry, by the way this is Luna Lovegood, she's a first year" said Alex.

Harry held out his hand to her.

"Good to meet you Luna, and like I said, I'm Alexander's very talented and handsome Godbrother" said Harry shaking her hand.

Luna smiled.

"Nice to meet you Harry Potter, and you are?" said Luna looking at Joe and Katie who smiled at her.

"Katie Bell" said Katie.

"Joe Harper" said Joe.

Luna smiled at them.

Alex turned to Harry.

"I need a favour?" said Alex.

"What is it?" said Harry curiously.

"I'll tell you in private after breakfast" said Alex quickly looking at Luna.

Harry followed his gaze and nodded.

Harry noticed Astoria walk into the hall and make her way over to the Slytherin table. She took a seat next to Daphne and started chatting to Daphne, Tracey and Blaise.

A few murmurs could be heard from up and down the Gryffindor table at this causing Harry and the others to roll their eyes and groan in annoyance.

"Why is she sitting there, doesn't she know that Gryffindor's never sit at the Snakes table?" said the second year Lavander Brown.

"She's sitting with her Sister Miss Brown, leave it at that" said Katie in annoyance.

Lavander turned to her.

She opened her mouth to retort but quickly shut it after Katie glared at her.

"Is that a usual occurrence?" said Luna.

Joe nodded.

"Yeah, it happens a lot, some people just can't get over the house rivalry" said Joe.

At that moment the ginger haired Ginny Weasley sat down in the empty seat next to Luna.

"Hello Ginny" said Luna smiling.

"Hey Luna" said Ginny weakly.

Alex looked at her and noticed the bags under her eyes.

"Are you okay Miss Weasley?" said Alex.

Ginny nodded.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" said Ginny.

"You just look tired that's all" said Alex curiously.

"I'm okay, don't worry about it" said Ginny.

Alex was unconvinced but did not press the matter further.

After Luna had finished her breakfast she reached into her book bag and pulled a strange looking magazine titled "The Quibbler" out of it.

She started reading.

"What's that your reading Luna?" said Harry.

Luna looked up from her magazine.

"The Quibbler, my Father's magazine" said Luna.

"Could I have a look when your finished with it?" said Harry curiously.

"Have a look now if you want" said Luna handing the magazine to him.

Harry took it and began skimming through it glancing at some of the stories about unknown mythical creatures and various conspiracy theories.

Harry turned through the pages before stopping on a particular page which caused him to laugh.

 _ **Sirius Black or Stubby Boardman, are they one in the same?**_

 _Lord Sirius Black, Head of the Black Family, husband and father of two. Stubby Boardman, former lead singer of the Hobgoblins who retired after having a turnip thrown at him during his last concert in Little Norton in 1980. We at the Quibbler have reason to believe these two are the exact same person._

 _Lord Black who retired from the public eye around July 1980 coincidently around the same time that Stubby Boardman retired from the Hobgoblins. Coincidence, I think not, the likely truth is that they are both the same person._

The article went on the describe the similarities between the two as well as comparing Boardman's womanising ways to how Sirius had a heartbreaker like reputation during his school years.

"What's so funny?" said Katie curiously.

Harry handed the article to Alex who read it before chuckling. He showed it to Joe and Katie who laughed.

"Hey Luna, do you mind if I send this article to my parents, my Dad would love to hear this" said Alex handing the magazine back to Luna.

"Of course, I have a few copies in my trunk" said Luna.

Alex nodded at her and grinned at Harry.

The others ate their breakfast before Harry and Alex walked out of the Great Hall. They walked over to one of the large torches.

"What do you need, and what does it have to do with your new friend?" said Harry.

Alex growled slightly.

"Luna's not very well liked in Ravenclaw, I caught a group of students bullying her last night" said Alex.

"Who?" said Harry.

"I don't want you to deal with all of them, just the worst ones, Michael Corner, Terry Boot and Roger Davies, I don't think the threat I made will be enough for them to leave her alone" said Alex.

"Consider it done" said Harry.

Alex nodded.

"Thanks" said Alex.

"No problem, is it just those three who bully her?" said Harry.

Alex shook his head.

"There were more, but from what I could tell those three were the ones who did the most of it" said Alex.

"They'll get their just desserts, but it'll take a day at least" said Harry.

Alex nodded before the two made their way back into the Great Hall.

Harry walked over to Joe and Katie while Alex walked to the Hufflepuff table to see Susan.

"What was all that about?" said Joe.

"We got some work to do" said Harry glancing at the Ravenclaw table where Roger Davies was sat with his friends.

"Who?" said Katie.

"I'll tell you in Transfiguration" said Harry.

The three made their way out of the Great Hall.

After telling them of his plan during Transfiguration the three started planning their prank.

Later that night Harry approached Alex and handed him a few pieces of parchment.

"Place these on their beds before dinner tomorrow" said Harry.

Alex nodded.

The four walked into the Great Hall and sat at the Hufflepuff table with Susan and Hannah.

"Hey guys I think I've found something that might work" said Katie.

"What is it?" said Joe.

"An interesting charm, one that doesn't wear off for a few hours" said Katie.

"What does it do?" said Susan.

Katie winked at her.

"You'll see" said Katie.

Susan smirked.

Later that night Harry, Joe and Katie were sat at one of the tables in the Gryffindor Common Room. Katie was turning the pages of her Advanced Charms book.

"Here it is, this will work, no one will go near them while this spell is in effect" said Katie.

"It seems your birthday present worked out well then" said Joe.

"Yeah, you really hit the jackpot when you got this for me" said Katie.

Harry looked over to one of the other desks where Fred, George and Lee were sat looking at a piece of parchment.

"What do you say we get some additional help?" said Harry.

"Go for it" said Joe.

Harry stood up and made his way over to them.

He saw George tap his wand on the parchment and mutter something causing him to come to a realisation.

"Is that what I think it is?" thought Harry.

Fred turned to look at him.

"Ah our junior prankster, how can we be of assistance" said Fred.

Harry smirked and pressed his wand to the parchment.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" whispered Harry.

Ink appeared on the parchment and spread into a picture of Hogwarts with writing underneath it.

Messrs Moony Wormtail Padfoot and Prongs are proud to present the Marauders Map.

Fred, George and Lee looked at him with looks of shock on their faces.

"How did you know?" said George.

"I happen to know who the Marauders were" said Harry.

"You do, who are they, they are our heroes" said Fred.

"You met Padfoot during the summer, stayed with him in fact" said Harry.

The three thought for a moment.

"Sirius Black, your godfather" said George.

"Correct" said Harry.

"But who were the others?" said Lee.

Harry looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

"Well, Prongs was my Father James Potter, Moony was a man named Remus Lupin, and Wormtail was Peter Pettigrew" said Harry saying the last name with venom.

"Wow" said Fred.

"Your a second generation Marauder" said George.

Fred deactivated the map.

"They were best friends all the way through school and after" said Harry.

"Wow, then I think you ought to have this" said Fred holding the map out to him.

Harry pushed it away.

"You keep it, I have one already, Padfoot gave it to me in my first year, besides you guys are probably making excellent use of it" said Harry.

Fred and George looked slightly shocked.

"We nicked it from Filch's office in first year, took us weeks to open it" said George.

"Did it by accident in the end" said Fred.

"Talk about dumb luck, we almost gave up on it" said Lee.

"What did you want to speak to us about anyway Harry?" said George.

"We have some business to discuss, if your interested" said Harry.

"What kind of business?" said Fred.

"A prank, if your up for it that is" said Harry.

Fred, George and Lee smirked.

"Of course" said Lee.

"This way gentlemen" said Harry.

The three followed him back to the table where Joe and Katie were sat waiting for them.

"We're in" said George.

"Sit down, we've got a plan, but it needs testing first" said Joe.

Harry and the others sat down at the table.

"Here's the spell, you cast it on objects which lets out a very foul smell, its designed to stop animals from going near specific objects" said Katie handing the book to the Twins.

The three looked at the spell and grinned wickedly.

"You need a test subject" said George.

"We have one in mind" said Fred looking across the room to where Percy was sat at one of the desks doing his work.

"Observe" said George.

Fred pulled his wand out and tapped George on the head.

"Disillusions" said Fred.

George slowly faded from view as the spell took effect.

The group watched as the slight outline of George stood up and made his way over to where Percy was sat.

Suddenly Percy shot up from his seat.

"What the?" said Percy in slight shock.

He looked around the room.

"Who did that?" said Percy.

Most of the students looked at him in confusion.

Fred snickered as Lee removed the disillusionment charm from George.

"Did what Percy?" said Fred.

"Who just cast a spell at me, whoever did will be put into detention straight away" said Percy as a very bad smell started to emanate from him which spread throughout the common room causing all of the students to cover their noses and groan.

Fred gave a noise of disgust.

"Merlin Percy, did you forget to shower this morning?" said Fred wrinkling his nose.

"You smell worse than rotten eggs" said George.

Percy ran up the stairs to his dorm as most of the students laughed or breathed sighs of relief.

"Well, I guess it worked" said Joe laughing.

"Who will be the most unfortunate victims of this prank then?" said George.

"Michael Corner, Terry Boot and Roger Davies" said Harry.

"We got Davies then" said Fred.

"Okay, we'll take care of Corner and Boot, tomorrow before dinner" said Harry.

"What exactly did they do to be targeted anyway?" said Lee.

"Bullying first years, Luna Lovegood, that girl that lives near you" said Katie.

Fred and George looked at each other with a small degree of anger on their faces.

"Yeah we know Luna, a bit weird but a lovely person, she's not had it easy for the last few years as well after what happened to her Mother" said George.

"What happened?" said Harry.

Fred and George looked at each other solemnly before looking back at Harry.

"Her Mother died a few years ago, she liked to create new spells and one day it went tragically wrong, I guess these creatures that Luna makes up are how she copes with what happened, she's very good friends with Ginny but she seems to be alone most of the time" said Fred.

Harry and the others looked shocked.

"Dear god" said Katie in shock.

Harry looked at the floor in sadness knowing what it was like to lose a parent.

"Just thinking about what those three did to her makes me want to do this even more" said Joe.

Harry and the others nodded.

10th September 1992

Harry, Joe, Katie and the Twins stood outside the Great Hall waiting for their targets to enter.

Harry was hidden under his invisibility cloak while Fred and Katie were hidden under disillusionment charms.

Michael Corner and Terry Boot walked towards the entrance to the Great Hall.

Harry and Katie pointed their wands at them.

"Odorus Mateno" whispered Harry.

A small white light shot from his wand hitting Michael Corner in the back causing him to turn around in confusion.

At the same time Katie did the same to Terry Boot who looked around in confusion before the two walked into the Great Hall.

Roger Davies followed them a few minutes later with Fred hitting him with the spell getting an angry reaction out of Roger before Snape took points from him for shouting and told him to go and sit down.

Joe cancelled the charms on Katie and Fred before they all walked into the Great Hall.

They sat down at the Gryffindor table as a familiar smell began to emanate from Michael, Terry and Roger.

Nearly all of the Ravenclaw students moved away from the three in disgust and voiced their disgust very loudly.

Eventually the three had had enough and ran out of the Great Hall to the relief of most of the students.

Alex who was sat with Susan at the Hufflepuff table smirked as the three ran out of the Great Hall.

Later that night Roger Davies entered his dorm room.

"Finally I got that damn smell off of me, whoever did that is going to pay big time" said Roger angrily.

He pulled his pyjamas out of his trunk before looking at his bed in shock.

There was an envelope on his pillow with his name written in fine handwriting.

"What is this?" thought Roger as he picked up the envelope and opened it.

He pulled a letter out of the envelope and read it.

 _Davies_

 _Consider what just happened to you as punishment for Luna Lovegood's treatment. She is under our protection and we will not let people get away with bullying her. If you bully her again a bad smell will be the least of your worries so bear that in mind._

 _Signed_

 _The Marauders_

Roger snarled throwing his pyjamas on the bed.

He turned on his heel and left his room heading to the common room.

He spotted Alex sat with Anthony and Padma at one of the desks.

He stalked over to them.

"I know this was you Black, you'll pay for this" snarled Roger.

Alex calmly turned to face him.

"Whatever do you mean Roger, I'm afraid I have no idea what you are talking about" said Alex calmy.

Roger thrust the letter into his chest.

Alex took the letter and read it.

"Wow, it appears you've made a few enemies Davies, how unfortunate for you" said Alex.

Roger drew his wand on Alex who didn't even flinch.

"I hope you know what your doing Davies, I really doubt you want to make an enemy of House Black" said Alex.

Roger snarled before putting his wand away.

Padma looked at him in shock.

"How did you do that, we thought he was going to curse you on the spot" said Padma.

"Simple, he tried to scare me by drawing his wand until he realised that it wasn't working, simple intimidation tactics" said Alex.

"Nice, I wouldn't put it past him to try something again though" said Anthony.

"Well if he does, it wouldn't be a good idea" said Alex.

12th September 1992

Sirius and Marlene walked out of one of the lifts in the Ministry Of Magic. They were dressed in their House Black robes.

They reached a black door with an engraving above the handle and knocked.

"Board Of Governors"

"Enter" said an elderly male voice from inside the room.

Sirius opened the door and the two walked inside.

The room was fairly simple containing a large oak table and chairs with eight witches and wizards sat looking at them.

"Ah Lord and Lady Black, to what do we owe this pleasure?" said the cold voice of the long blonde haired 37 year old Lucius Malfoy.

The two walked up to the desk.

"We are here to register a complaint about Professor Gilderoy Lockheart" said Marlene.

"The man is not capable of carrying out his role as DADA teacher at Hogwarts" said Sirius.

Mumbles could be heard from the people at the table.

"How so Lord Black?" said the tall elderly Tiberius Ogden eyeing him with interest.

"We have received complaints from students that he is neglecting to teach them the required second year course material, instead he just reads extracts from his own books" said Sirius.

"This is unacceptable, most of us did not approve of his appointment in the first place" said the elderly Griselda Marchbanks.

"If that is the case why was he allowed to teach in the first place?" said Marlene.

"The Headmaster has the final say on staff matters, we will investigate these claims and take them to the Headmaster but it is very unlikely that he will remove Professor Lockheart" said Tiberius Ogden.

"Unless we see actual evidence of Professor Lockheart being unable to do his job then nothing will change, if these students are to be believed anyway" said Lucius Malfoy.

Sirius glared at Lucius.

"The appointment of Gilderoy Lockheart must change, how are students able to pass their end of year exams including their OWL's and NEWT's if they do not have a suitable teacher" said Marlene.

The board discussed it amongst themselves for a few minutes before turning back to Sirius and Marlene.

"If there is no other business you require, then you can leave, we will take these complaints to the Headmaster" said Griselda Marchbanks.

"Very well" said Marlene.

The two left the room.


	14. Chapter 14

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

31st October 1992

Unfortunately Sirius and Marlene's meeting with the School Governors did nothing to change Dumbledore's opinion on Professor Lockheart. He instead backed Lockheart as a competent teacher and refused to fire him.

It was a fairly chilly Saturday morning as Harry, Joe and Katie were sat at the Gryffindor table eating their breakfast eagerly anticipating their first Hogsmeade trip.

They were dressed in their Gryffindor jumpers and jeans.

"I can't believe you guys will be spending the day in Hogsmeade while were stuck in the castle" said Susan who was sat next to Alex.

"Yeah well, we had to wait two years for this, you guys have to do the same" said Joe.

"Yeah, at least next year we'll be able to go there as well, hope you guys have a good day at least" said Alex.

"Oh we will" said Harry.

They finished their breakfast before Professor Mcgonagall stood up.

"Will all the students who are attending Hogsmeade please line up in the courtyard outside, myself and Mr Filch will escort you down to the village" said Mcgonagall.

"We'll see you guys later then" said Katie as she, Harry and Joe stood up and walked towards the doors.

"Hey Harry" said a voice from the table near the doors.

Harry turned to see Astoria looking at him with a few sickles in her hand.

"What is it Tori?" said Harry.

"Could you please get me some Sugar Quills while your there?" said Astoria.

"Yeah, I'll get you some" said Harry.

Astoria smiled and held the money out towards him.

"No need, I'll pay for them" said Harry.

Astoria looked slightly shocked.

"I can't let you do that Harry, you don't have to spend your money on me" said Astoria.

"Its okay Tori, I'll pay for them, you can keep your money" said Harry.

Astoria smiled at him.

"Thank you Harry" said Astoria giving him a hug which he returned before she went over to join Daphne at the Slytherin table.

Harry and the others went and stood in the queue for Hogsmeade before Mcgonagall came out and led them down to the village with Filch.

Upon reaching the village the three along with most of the other third years gasped in awe.

Dozens of shops lined the cobble streets like Diagon Alley selling a variety of products. They passed through the entrance to the village where Mcgonagall turned to face them.

"Welcome to Hogsmeade Village, you are free to spend the day as you wish, provided you do not leave the village unless it is to return to the school, I expect you all to be on your best behaviour as you are representing the school, anyone who breaks these rules will be punished, understood" said Mcgonagall sternly.

Everyone nodded.

"Enjoy yourselves" said Mcgonagall before she walked off into the village.

Harry, Joe and Katie separated from the group of students.

"Where do we go first?" said Harry.

They looked at the shops in awe before Katie caught sight of a particular shop.

"Why don't we go to Scrivenshaft's first, I need a new quill" said Katie.

"We'll start there then" said Joe.

The three walked into the shop and got Katie's new Eagle feather quill before heading out to explore the other shops of Hogsmeade.

They visited Honeydukes sweet shop with Harry and Joe getting a large supply of sweets including Honeydukes chocolate, Jelly Slugs and Bertie Botts beans which would last for a month as well as a few packets of Sugar Quill's for Astoria.

The three visited Zonko's next where they bumped into the Weasley Twins and Lee.

They were looking over the various joke products thinking of ideas for their next prank.

"What about this?" said Harry picking up a small bottle and showing it to George.

"Inner animal transformation, transforms the drinker into his/her inner animal for up to 2 hours depending on the dosage" said George.

"I think I'll get some of this, it will come in handy" said Harry.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" said George.

"Oh yeah, might be a bit late to use it tonight, but we could use it soon, maybe on multiple students" said Harry.

"Harry, you are a genius" said George.

Harry picked up six bottles from the shelf.

The two made their way over to the till as the others were waiting in a queue with a variety of joke products in their hands.

"By the looks of it, we have enough pranks until the Christmas Holidays" said Joe.

"Good, then there's more fun to be had" said Fred.

The young sales witch was extremely shocked at the large amounts they were purchasing.

Once they were outside with their bags Harry called Kreacher to come and take their bags up to their rooms.

They parted ways with the Weasley Twins and Lee before heading to the Three Broomsticks for some lunch.

The dark blonde haired Landlady Madam Rosmerta made her way over to them with their drinks.

"Its nice to finally meet you Mr Potter, your Father and his friends were always some of my best customers, even after they finished school" said Madam Rosmerta as she placed Harry's drink in front of him.

"Thank you Madam Rosmerta" said Harry giving the woman a small smile.

"Enjoy your drinks, someone will be out shortly with your food" said Madam Rosmerta.

With that she walked back to the bar.

The three talked about what pranks they could pull with their new products while they had their lunch. They stayed at the Three Broomsticks for a few more drinks before walking around the village once again.

At the end of the visit they made their way back up to the castle slightly exhausted.

They made their way up to their rooms where Harry retrieved the Sugar Quill's he brought for Astoria.

Making his way downstairs he saw Joe and Katie sat with the Twins and Lee.

He saw Astoria sat with Ginny on one of the settee's.

She looked up at him as he made his way over to her.

"Here you go Tori" said Harry handing her the bag of sweets.

Astoria looked inside the bag and smiled.

"Thanks Harry, I owe you one" said Astoria.

"No problem" said Harry.

He noticed that Ginny looked extremely tired and slightly pale.

He dropped to his knees in front of her placing one of his hands on her clasped hands. She froze for a second before looking at him confused.

"Are you okay Miss Weasley?" said Harry sounding concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine, just a little tired that's all" said Ginny.

Harry was not convinced.

"Are you sure Miss Weasley, you look like something's bothering you" said Harry.

"Nothings bothering me" said Ginny hotly.

Harry recoiled slightly removing his hand from hers.

"Ginny, you don't look fine, is there something wrong, you can tell me if there is, I won't tell anyone else either" said Harry.

"I'm fine, thank you for your concern" said Ginny slightly icily before standing up and heading up to her room.

Harry looked at Astoria who just shrugged her shoulders.

"She's been acting-" said Astoria before a shout cut her off.

"What the hell did you just do to her Potter?!" shouted Ron who came striding over to him accompanied by Neville and Hermione.

All of the other students turned to look at Harry.

"I did nothing Mr Weasley, I only offered your Sister help because she looks rather unwell, instead she snapped at me" said Harry hotly.

"Rubbish, you obviously did something to her, she was fine before you talked to her" said Ron.

"Harry only tried to help your Sister Weasley, perhaps you should get your facts straight before jumping to conclusions!" shouted Astoria.

"Stay out of this Greengrass, your cold hearted Sister won't protect you in here" snarled Ron causing gasps and snarls to be heard around Gryffindor house.

Astoria was taken aback causing Harry to growl.

Unbeknownst to Ron, Hermione decided to walk away from him and Neville while Neville had a look of disappointment etched on his face at his best friends actions.

"You better watch what you say Weasel, insult my friends again and you will not like the consequences" snarled Harry.

Ron paled slightly before shakily pulling out his wand.

Harry sighed.

"Don't try it Ron, whatever you are thinking of doing will not work" said Harry.

Ron quickly put his wand away and turned to look at Neville and Hermione who were looking at him in disappointment.

Nearly all of Gryffindor house were now staring at Ron with glares of anger.

Ron turned and ran up the stairs to his room.

Neville sighed before following him shortly after.

Harry turned to Astoria.

"Are you okay?" said Harry.

Astoria nodded.

"I'm fine, just shocked that's all, I knew he was hotheaded and rude, but I didn't think he'd insult my Sister in front of the house" said Astoria in slight shock.

"I know, it does make me wonder if he has forgotten what happened on Halloween last year, especially after what myself and the rest of this house did the next day" said Harry as Joe, Katie, the Twins and Lee made their way over to them.

The Twins approached Astoria with looks of extreme disappointment and anger on their faces.

"Miss Greengrass, we sincerely apologise for our idiot brother's behaviour" said George.

"We will be having words with him ourselves" said Fred.

Astoria looked at them.

"Thank you, but you should not apologise for him, he should apologise for his own mistakes without others there to do it for him, though I do not envy what Daphne will do to him when she finds out what happened" said Astoria.

"She's going to really hurt him isn't she?" said Joe.

"Yeah, and my Sister is a lot of things, but she's not cold hearted, she only acts frosty at times so other people in Slytherin won't bother her, she'll be fuming when she finds out what Weasley did" said Astoria.

"We're going to have a chat with him now, we'll see you guys at the feast" said Fred.

Harry nodded.

"We'll wait down here for you" said Katie.

The Twins went upstairs to talk to Ron while Lee walked over to Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet were sat at one of the tables.

"What exactly did Weasel get angry with you for Harry?" said Joe.

Harry told them about his conversation with Ginny and how unwell she looks before she snapped at him.

"She's been acting strange ever since the start of term, I don't think she gets much sleep since she always seems to be tired in the morning, me and some of the others are worried about her" said Astoria.

"We'll talk to the Twins, they should be able to help her, you're not the only ones to notice that Ginny does not look entirely well, Alex noticed it as well, but she just said nothing was wrong" said Katie.

"I don't know, something's not right, but maybe its best for her brothers to talk to her instead of us, she's more likely to open up to them" said Harry.

They kept talking until Fred and George returned from their talk with Ron with looks of disappointment still etched on their faces.

"He's still convinced you did something to Ginny" said Fred.

"And we don't think he realises what he's just done, even Neville told him that Daphne will be out for his blood now but he wouldn't listen" said George.

"I don't get it, I thought after what happened last Halloween he'd learned to be careful what he said to other people, he obviously didn't learn that lesson" said Katie.

"We know" said Fred.

"We even told him we won't help him against Daphne and to face the consequences for his actions, but he still does not listen" said George.

"He's really angry and slightly scared that we have decided not to help him, Neville is staying up there with him, even he's disappointed at Ron" said Fred.

Harry sighed.

"He has to learn his lesson sooner rather than later, come on lets go down to the feast" said Harry.

The group left Gryffindor Tower and headed for the Great Hall.

 _20 minutes earlier…_

Neville opened the door to his dorm room and slowly walked inside.

An angry Ron was sat on his bed.

He turned towards Neville.

"Oh its just you, I thought it might be my brothers or Potter" said Ron.

Neville said nothing as he walked over and sat on his bed looking at Ron in disappointment.

"What in the name of Merlin did you do that for?" said Neville.

"Potter insulted my Sister, she was fine before he went over to her" said Ron.

"I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about why you just decided to insult Daphne Greengrass in front of her Sister, most of the students down there are angry with you" said Neville.

"So what, she should keep out of business that doesn't concern her" said Ron.

"They don't call Daphne Greengrass the Ice Queen for nothing Ron, what do you think she's going to do to you when Astoria tells her what you said about her" said Neville.

Ron snorted.

"What is she gonna do, that Ice Queen stuff is just a bunch of rubbish" said Ron disinterested.

Neville shook his head.

"Ron, I may not like Daphne Greengrass, but I know her far better than you do, and trust me that stuff about her being the Ice Queen is true, and she isn't cold hearted either" said Neville.

The door opened once again.

Fred and George walked into the room with looks of anger on their faces.

"Congratulations Ickle Ronniekins, you've just managed to make an enemy of the entire house" said George.

"And not to mention you have just angered the Ice Queen who will now be baying for your blood" said Fred.

Ron paled.

"Can't you guys do something to help me?" said Ron.

Fred and George looked at him with anger.

"Do what?" said Fred.

"I don't know, protect me from her or something, I am your brother" said Ron shakily.

"I don't think so, you got yourself into this" said Fred.

"Brother or no brother, it's about time you faced the consequences of your actions for once" said George.

"Do you know what she is going to do to me?" said Ron sounding scared.

"Yes we do, and we won't tell you, we only hope that you start to grow up before you shame Gryffindor House even more, especially after what you did last year" said Fred.

"But" spluttered Ron.

"No buts little brother, we will not help you against Daphne" said George.

Ron growled.

"Now lets talk about your reason for shouting at Harry" said Fred.

Ron scoffed.

"What's there to talk about, he insulted Ginny" said Ron.

"Did he?" said Fred.

"Because we spoke to both Harry and Astoria who both swore that Harry did no such thing, that he was concerned about her and only tried to help her" said George.

"And you believe them" said Ron.

"Yes we do, we know Harry far better than you do" said Fred.

"We know he would never do that to Ginny" said George.

"How do you explain what happened then?" said Ron.

"We can't, but we will talk to Ginny to find out her side of the story" said Fred.

Ron scowled.

"Fine, but don't blame me when she tells you how Harry was upsetting her" said Ron.

Fred and George just shook their heads.

"You need to be more careful little brother, you have another five years at Hogwarts after this, surely you do not want to spend them being hated by the rest of this house" said George.

"You may be our brother, but we will not protect you from students when you go to far, so don't bother asking for our help about this, you will not get it" said Fred.

"And you better pray to Merlin that Daphne does not hurt you too much, which is highly unlikely" said George.

"You mean you won't help me?" said Ron sounding shocked.

"No we won't help you, you got yourself into this, I suggest you man up and face the consequences" said Fred.

"Think about that little brother" said George.

The two left the room.

Neville looked at Ron who was staring at wall with a a slightly angry and scared look on his face.

"Come on, lets go down to the feast" said Neville.

Ron scowled.

"Not hungry, maybe later" said Ron in annoyance.

Neville looked shocked.

"Are you sure?" said Neville.

Ron nodded.

"Okay, I'll stay up here with you until your ready to go down" said Neville.

 _Back to present time…_

Harry, Joe, Katie and Astoria walked into the Great Hall with the Weasley Twins and Lee Jordan.

Dozens of candlelit pumpkin heads floated above the house tables which contained various food ranging from simple meals to Halloween specific food.

Astoria noticed Daphne, Tracey and Blaise making their way towards the doors and walked over to them.

Harry followed her a few moments later.

When he reached them he saw that Daphne was starting to get really angry.

"You told her then" said Harry.

"Yeah" said Astoria.

"Weasel is going to really get it this time" snarled Daphne.

Harry thought for a few moments.

"Meet me outside the Great Hall tomorrow before breakfast Daph, I've got something that can help you with Weasel, bring your bag as well" said Harry.

"Okay" said Daphne.

"Forget about that idiot for tonight Sis, lets go and enjoy the feast" said Astoria.

Daphne calmed down slightly before nodding.

She gave Astoria a tight hug and whispered something in her ear before walking of with Tracey and Blaise.

Harry and Astoria walked over to the others.

They all sat down at the Gryffindor table.

As they were eating they noticed that Neville and Ron did not come down to the feast and still hadn't by the time they finished their desserts.

After everyone had finished eating Professor Dumbledore stood up.

"Ah what an excellent feast, now that it is over Prefects lead your houses back to your dormitories please, good night all of you" said Dumbledore.

Harry and the others stood up and followed the other Gryffindors out of the Great Hall.

Alex was walking back to Ravenclaw tower with the rest of the Ravenclaws. They rounded the corner before gasps broke out from the front of the students.

Alex managed to get to the front before freezing in shock.

Neville and Ron were stood looking at them. They were stood next to a torch handle with the still form of Mrs Norris hanging by her tail. On the wall opposite Neville and Ron there was large red writing.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED

ENEMIES OF THE HEIR BEWARE

The students from the other houses arrived and pretty soon gasps and muttering were the only sounds that could be heard in the otherwise quiet corridor.

"Oh my god" said Alex.

"Is this bad?" said one of the first year female Ravenclaw students.

"Very bad" said Alex.

"What's going on here, come on make way, make way" said Filch pushing through the crowd to where Neville and Ron were stood.

He looked at Neville and Ron.

"Longbottom, what are you?" said Filch before he saw Mrs Norris.

His face dropped with shock.

"Mrs Norris" said Filch shakily before turning back to Neville.

"This wasn't-" said Neville.

"You murdered my cat" said Filch cutting him off.

"I didn't do this" said Neville.

"I'll kill you" said Filch grabbing Neville's shoulder.

"I'll kill ya" said Filch angrily.

"Argus" said Dumbledore who made his way through the crowd with Mcgonagall and Snape.

He looked at the wall and paled in shock.

"Everyone, return to their dormitories immediately" said Dumbledore.

Most of the students did not move.

"Do as the Headmaster says, now" snarled Snape.

All of the students carried on walking down the corridor to their dormitories.

As they were walking away Alex caught part of the conversation.

"She's not dead Argus, she has been petrified, but by what I am not sure" said Dumbledore.

Filch started muttering about Neville and Ron being behind this.

Alex made his way back to Ravenclaw tower and sat down on one of the settee's with Anthony and Padma.

"I thought the Chamber Of Secrets was a myth" said Anthony.

"Looks like it might be true" said Padma.

Alex rubbed his eyes.

"It was opened 50 years ago, apparently they never caught the person who did it either" said Alex.

"How do you know?" said Anthony.

"My dad, he says my Grandmother told him about it, I think she was in her 7th year when it happened" said Alex.

"Do you really think its true, that its been opened again?" said Padma.

Alex sighed.

"It looks like it is true, there's no way someone has done this as some sort of joke" said Alex.

"My mums big on history, I'll write to her and see if she knows anything about the Chamber" said Anthony.

Alex nodded.

"I'm going to get in touch with my dad, he might know more about this than I do" said Alex.

Alex stayed talking to them for ten minutes before walking up to his room.

He opened his trunk and got his two way mirror out of it.

"Padfoot" said Alex.

Sirius and Marlene's faces appeared in the mirror moments later.

"Hey Pup, having a good Halloween" said Sirius.

"Hey Mum, Dad, and it was until about half an hour ago" said Alex.

"Why, what's happened, are you okay?" said Marlene.

Alex shook his head and proceeded to tell them about what happened.

By the time he had finished his story Sirius and Marlene were looking at each other with worry.

"This isn't good, we need to do something about this?" said Marlene.

"Listen Pup, I want you to put this at the back of your mind for now, I'll be up there tomorrow with Amelia and a team of Auror's, we'll get to the bottom of this" said Sirius.

Alex nodded.

"You should've seen Dumbledore, he went completely pale" said Alex.

"No wonder, he was the Transfiguration teacher here last time it was opened, seeing that again will have shocked him and maybe even scared him as well" said Sirius.

"You mean, when he saw the writing it probably brought the memories of the last time back, Merlin this is bad" said Alex.

"Yeah, but don't think about it now, your Father will be there tomorrow to sort this out" said Marlene.

Alex nodded.

He said goodbye to them before putting the mirror back in his trunk.

1st November 1992

Harry was stood near one of the torches outside the Great Hall with Joe and Katie.

A few minutes later he spotted Daphne who made her way over to him accompanied by Tracey and Blaise.

Harry opened his bag and pulled his folded up invisibility cloak out holding it towards her.

She looked slightly puzzled at first but a nod from Harry encouraged her to take it and put it in her bag.

"All of Gryffindor House except for Longbottom is shunning him, they're really pissed about what he did" said Harry.

"Good" said Daphne.

"Why don't you three join us for breakfast, who knows it might scare Weasel" said Joe.

Daphne and the others smirked.

"Of course" said Daphne.

They walked into the Great Hall together and found some seats near Astoria and Ginny.

She locked eyes with Ron who was sat a bit further down the table. She fixed him with an icy glare causing him to go pale and move further along the table putting more distance between himself and Daphne.

Harry smirked as he started to eat his breakfast.

Alex and Susan were watching the whole scene with interest from the Hufflepuff table.

"I wonder what that was all about" said Alex.

"Ron seems to be terrified of Daphne" said Susan.

"Yeah, I mean I know he hates Slytherin's but I've never seen him get scared like that" said Alex.

"Do you think he did something to her, maybe that's why he's scared" said Susan.

"Probably, we'll ask her after, I wonder what happened, but whatever it is, it must be bad" said Alex.

Susan nodded as the two continued eating their breakfast.

Ron and Neville were walking to their Potions lesson after breakfast.

Daphne followed them covered under the invisibility cloak.

"Thank you Harry, this is too easy" thought Daphne.

She pointed her wand out through the cloak and aimed for Ron's back.

"Stingonia" whispered Daphne.

The mild stinging jinx hit Ron in the back causing him to pull his wand out and spin around.

"Who was that?" snarled Ron.

"What happened?" said Neville looking at him.

"Someone just hit me with a spell" said Ron angrily.

Neville looked around.

"Are you sure, because we're the only ones here" said Neville.

"Yes, I'm sure" snarled Ron.

"I bet its Potter, defending his little girlfriend after what happened" snarled Ron.

Daphne snarled.

"Friggio" said Daphne angrily.

The spell caught Ron off guard and hit him in the genitals causing him to drop to the floor in pain.

"Eat Slugs" said Daphne hitting him with another spell causing him to start vomiting slugs all over his robes and the floor.

Daphne put her wand away as Neville hauled the still vomiting Ron to his feet and dragged him along the corridor heading to the Hospital Wing.

Once they were gone Daphne pulled the cloak off and put it back in her bag.

"Thank you Harry" said Daphne before walking off to the Potions classroom.


	15. Chapter 15

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

Sirius and a team of aurors arrived at Hogwarts to investigate the attack on Mrs Norris and had decided to stay at Hogwarts to further investigate the matter. Unfortunately for the aurors their investigation hit a brick wall as they were unable to locate the chamber or find any leads as to what happened to Mrs Norris.

4th November 1992

Alex was sat with Anthony in their Transfiguration class they shared with the Gryffindor's practising turning their animals into water goblets.

"Serraverto" said Ron attempting to cast the spell on his rat but failed spectacularly due to his broken wand.

The rat turned into a dark brown goblet covered in hair with a moving rat tail to the amusement of the entire class.

"That wand will need replacing Mr Weasley" said Professor Mcgonagall in frustration.

Hermione put her hand up.

"Yes Miss Granger" said Mcgonagall.

"Professor, I was wondering if you could tell us about, the Chamber Of Secrets" said Hermione.

Professor Mcgonagall looked reluctant to tell them but in the end nodded her head.

"Very well then, well as you well know, Hogwarts was founded over a thoused years ago by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin" said Mcgonagall.

Alex leaned forward with interest.

"Now three of the founders coexisted quite harmoniously, one did not" said Mcgonagall.

"Three guesses who" said Ron.

Mcgonagall nodded.

"Salazar Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts, he believed magical learning should be kept in all magic families, in other words, pure bloods" said Mcgonagall.

Alex rolled his eyes.

"Unable to persuade the others, he decided to leave the school, now according to legend, Slytherin built a hidden chamber in this castle known as the Chamber Of Secrets, and shortly before departing he sealed it, until the time when the true Heir Of Slytherin returned to the school, the Heir would be able to open the Chamber and unleash the horror within to purge the school of those in Slytherins view were unworthy to study magic" said Mcgonagall.

"Muggleborns" said Hermione.

Mcgonagall nodded and pointed her wand at Hermione.

"Naturally the school has been searched many times, and the chamber has never been found" said Mcgonagall.

Alex looked at Mcgonagall.

"Professor, what does the legend say about what is in the chamber?" said Alex.

"Well, the chamber is said to be the home of something that only the Heir Of Slytherin can control, it is said to be the home of a monster" said Mcgonagall.

Ron shuddered.

"Enough for now, you can go" said Mcgonagall.

Alex and Anthony packed up their things and made their way out of the classroom talking about the Chamber.

As they were walking down the corridor Alex overheard Neville and Ron talking about who the Heir of Slytherin could be.

"Its got to be one of the Slytherin's, only the Heir would be in that house, bet its one of the Death Eater kids" said Neville.

"Or it could be someone else, what about Black, everyone knows that the Blacks are one of the darkest families in Magical Britain" said Ron.

Alex groaned and stopped walking.

"What was that Weasel?" said Alex turning around to face the two.

Ron glared at him.

"I was talking to Neville about the Heir Of Slytherin being you, I mean you are a Black, what do they always say, Tojours Pur meaning Always Pure, and apart from your Father they were all Pureblood Supremacist's, my Mother said so" said Ron catching the attention of other students in the corridor.

"If you really want to know if I am the Heir, which I am not, you could've just asked, and not all of my Family are supremacist's" said Alex.

"Oh yeah like who" said Ron snidely.

"Well my Aunt Andromeda for one, she married a Muggleborn and hated the ways of my late Grandparents" said Alex.

Ron spluttered.

"You lie" said Ron stupidly.

Alex glared at him.

"Ron drop it, remember what happened the other day" said Neville slightly annoyed.

"Leave him Neville, your friend should be old enough to face the consequences of his actions" said Alex icily.

Neville looked down at the floor.

"Well Mr Weasley, since you have insulted my Family, I think a little retribution is in order" said Alex.

Ron whipped out his broken wand.

"I do hope your not thinking of attacking him with that Ronald, your spell in class went wrong because of your broken wand" said Hermione walking up to them.

Ron just grunted at her.

Neville grabbed hold of his arm.

"Come on Ron" said Neville.

Ron relented and put his wand away.

He walked away down the corridor with Neville before Hermione eventually decided to follow them.

"You alright Alex?" said Anthony placing his hand on his shoulder.

Alex nodded.

"Yeah, thanks mate, come on, we got Herbology to get to" said Alex.

The two walked off down the corridor.

6th November 1992

Harry and Katie were sat in the Gryffindor tent with the rest of the Quidditch team.

Oliver was stood next to a large blackboard covered in writing and diagrams written in chalk.

"Okay our first match of the season, and while we won the cup last year, I want the same again this year, I want us to hold it for as long as possible" said Wood.

The rest of the team nodded.

"Good, now I'll just run through the tactics one last time" said Wood to the annoyance of the rest of the team who rolled their eyes in boredom.

Katie nudged Harry getting his attention.

She indicated to where the Weasley Twins were sat causing Harry to chuckle.

They were sat behind Wood mimicking his arm movements and speech as he was explaining the tactics to them. Harry looked at Alicia and Angelina who were smirking having noticed the Twins antics as well.

Once Wood was finished they all stood up and left the tent with their brooms heading for the pitch.

The Slytherin team was already out on the pitch when they flew out of the tunnel.

"Introducing last years champions with an unchanged side, Wood, Weasley, Weasley, Spinnet, Bell, Johnson and Potter!" shouted Lee as roars erupted from around the stadium.

Harry spotted Sirius, Marlene and Dorcas sat in one of the private seating towers.

They did their customary lap around the pitch before heading to the centre of the pitch.

Harry snorted when he saw who the new Slytherin seeker was.

Draco Malfoy.

"Bought your way onto the team then Malfoy" said Harry.

Draco scowled.

"Your going down Potter" said Draco snidely.

Harry laughed and looked down to where Madam Hooch was giving her usual warning speech.

The crate opened releasing the balls into the air starting the game.

Harry floated higher into the air while he scoured the pitch for the snitch.

Gryffindor managed to take an early lead through Katie but it seemed the Slytherin tactics had gotten dirtier over the last year as they committed foul after foul on the Gryffindor Chasers and Wood.

Half an hour later they had built up a smattering 90-40 lead over Gryffindor as Harry concentrated in his search for the snitch.

Draco flew up to him.

"Alright Potty" said Draco laughing.

Harry sarcastically laughed.

"I'm surprised your focusing your attention on talking to me Draco, a good seeker does not distract himself by talking to his betters like you are doing now" said Harry.

Draco snarled.

The snitch appeared right next to Draco's ear but in his arrogance he failed to see it.

Harry quickly looked to his left and pretended to see the snitch and flew in that direction.

As he predicted Draco decided to follow him.

Harry suddenly pulled his broom to a halt and swung around flying back towards Draco.

Draco gasped and flew downwards so he could miss Harry as Harry chased after the snitch.

About 20 seconds later Draco caught up with him and the two followed the snitch as it darted for the edge of the stadium.

He and Draco were flying side by side elbowing each other when a Bludger whizzed past the tail end of Harry's broom hitting the wall.

Harry glanced to the side to see one of the Slytherin Beaters flying level with them twenty feet from them.

Harry noticed the Beater getting close to another bludger.

"This better work" thought Harry as the Beater hit the bludger towards them.

Once the bludger was a mere five feet away from Harry he quickly pulled his broom up.

Draco glanced at him in confusion seconds before the bludger slammed into his chest knocking him off of his broom into the stadium wall causing him to scream.

Harry lowered his broom and caught up with the snitch as it turned left and shot towards the centre of the pitch.

Harry reached out his right hand towards the snitch.

Suddenly as his hand closed around the snitch he felt someone barge into his right hand side as something hard smashed into his wrist with the pain causing him to fall sideways off of his broom crashing to the floor.

Shouts of anger were heard from most of the students and the rest of the Gryffindor team.

With a lot of pain Harry pulled the snitch out of his damaged hand and held it up in the air.

"Potter's caught the snitch, even though Carrow fouled him he still got the snitch, Gryffindor wins" shouted Lee.

The rest of the Gryffindor team flew down to meet him as Alex, Joe, Susan, and Astoria came running over to him followed to his annoyance by Lockhart.

"Harry, are you okay?" said Joe.

Harry grimaced in pain.

"I think my arms broken" said Harry as Wood helped him to sit up.

Lockhart dropped to his knees next to him.

"Not to worry Potter, I can fix your arm straight away" said Lockhart.

Harry shook his head.

"No, take me to Madam Pomfrey" said Harry.

"Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit" said Lockhart pulling up Harry's sleeve causing him to wince.

He saw Sirius, Marlene and Dorcas running over to him with Daphne, Tracey and Blaise.

Lockhart pointed his wand at Harry's wrist.

"Professor, he needs to go to the Hospital Wing" said Katie.

"Brackium Emendo" said Lockhart as a white light surrounded Harry's wrist.

The others made noises of disgust as Harry lost all the feeling in his arm.

Harry looked at his arm which looked like a long flesh coloured piece of rubber hanging limply at his side.

"Ahh, that can sometimes happen" said Lockhart nervously.

"You just removed all the bones in his arm you idiot" said Alex angrily as Sirius and the others arrived.

"You did what?!" shouted Sirius in rage.

Lockhart turned to face an angry Sirius and Marlene.

"I" spluttered Lockhart as Sirius punched him hard in the nose breaking it and causing him to fall sideways holding his jaw in pain.

Sirius pulled his wand out and aimed it at Lockhart.

"Lord Black, why did you attack one of my Professors?!" shouted Dumbledore enraged as he and Mcgonagall made their way towards them.

"Your incompetent Professor just removed all the bones in my godsons right arm" said Marlene angrily.

"I'm sure it was just an accident Lady Black, Gilderoy did not mean to do this, he was only trying to help Mr Potter here" said Dumbledore in his grandfather voice.

Sirius and Marlene snarled.

"What happened is irrelevant, Mr Potter clearly needs to go to the Hospital Wing" said Mcgonagall.

Sirius put his wand away and helped Harry to his feet.

He and Joe walked Harry to the Hospital Wing while Marlene picked up his broom.

The others followed them up to the Hospital Wing.

They helped Harry into a bed while Marlene explained what had happened to Madam Pomfrey who looked furious.

"Vanished his bones, he should've been brought straight to me, I can mend bones in a heartbeat but regrowing them is much more unpleasant" said Madam Pomfrey.

She used her wand to summon a skeleton shaped bottle and glass from her store cupboard onto the bedside table next to Harry.

She poured some of the potion into the glass and handed it to Harry.

"Drink up Mr Potter, your in for a rough night, regrowing bones is a nasty business" said Pomfrey.

Harry drank it before spitting it out in disgust.

"That is disgusting" said Harry.

Some of the others snickered at him.

"Well what did you expect, pumpkin juice" said Pomfrey taking the glass from him and pouring some more into it.

She handed him the potion which he forced himself to drink.

Madam Pomfrey took the empty glass from him and placed it back on the table before leaving.

"How are you feeling Harry?" said Marlene dropping to the side of his bed and taking his left hand.

"Fine, my arm aches a lot though" said Harry grunting slightly as he felt his bones begin to regrow.

Marlene stroked his hair.

"Lockhart is going to get it this time" said Sirius.

Harry chuckled before wincing in pain.

"Hopefully they'll sack the fraud this time" said Harry.

Sirius and Marlene stayed for a while before leaving to find Dumbledore.

Sirius and Marlene returned nearly an hour later saying that Dumbledore had relented and suspended Lockhart after they told him they would be taking the matter to the Wizergamot.

They all stayed by his side for the rest of the afternoon before his friends left for dinner while Sirius, Marlene and Dorcas stayed with him until late in the evening.

His friends returned after dinner while Joe, Katie, Alex and Susan stayed with him until Madam Pomfrey told them to leave.

 _Earlier in Dumbledore's office…_

Sirius and Marlene marched up the stairs before stopping outside the door.

The door opened by itself and the two walked inside.

"Lord and Lady Black, please take a seat" said Dumbledore.

The two walked up and sat down opposite Dumbledore with angry looks on their faces.

Dumbledore fidgeted.

"I know what your going to say, and I urge you to reconsider, Professor Lockhart simply made a mistake" said Dumbledore.

"Not good enough Dumbledore, he vanished all the bones in Harry's arm, not too mention there have been multiple complaints from students about his teaching" said Marlene.

"Professor Lockhart is a perfectly capable teacher" said Dumbledore.

"Given the nature of the complaints I find that hard to believe, but that is not the issue here, the issue is what just happened down there on the pitch" said Sirius.

The two argued with Dumbledore for nearly twenty minutes before he finally realised he could not stop them from pressing charges.

He called one of the Hogwarts House Elves to bring Lockhart to his office.

Lockhart arrived a few minutes later.

He paled when he saw Sirius and Marlene.

"What's going on here?" said Lockhart nervously.

Dumbledore frowned.

"I'm sorry Gilderoy, you are being suspended from teaching until you are cleared or charged during your trial" said Dumbledore.

Lockhart started spluttering and looked around the room fearfully.

"You may remain in this castle for the rest of term but you will be relieved of your teaching duties during that time" said Dumbledore.

Lockhart collapsed on the floor with tears in his eyes as Sirius and Marlene left the office.

The Auror John Dawlish was hired to teach DADA for the rest of the term and they finally began to learn magic properly.

 _Later that night…_

Harry was struggling to fall asleep due to the discomfort in his arm.

"Blasted Lockhart" muttered Harry.

The doors to the Hospital Wing suddenly opened.

"What the?" thought Harry.

Footsteps and hushed voices could be heard entering the Hospital Wing.

"I think he's been petrified Madam Pomfrey" said the panicked voice of Professor Mcgonagall.

"We found him on the stairs near the boys bathroom, he may have been walking back from there when he was attacked" said the concerned voice of Dumbledore.

"A student" thought Harry in shock.

"Maybe he managed to get a picture of his attacker" said Mcgonagall.

A small bang and hissing sound was heard moments later as a burning acidic smell wafted through the Hospital Wing.

"What does this mean Albus?" said Mcgonagall sadly.

"It means that Hogwarts is no longer safe, it is as I feared Minerva, the Chamber Of Secrets has indeed been opened again" said Dumbledore.

"This is bad" thought Harry.

Dumbledore and Mcgonagall left the Hospital Wing shortly after. Once he heard the doors closed he turned over in his bed and managed to fall asleep moments later.

All of the students were informed of the attack the next morning at breakfast and were told some strict new rules including that they will be escorted to meals and lessons by the teachers.

There were no further attacks between now and the end of term but there was a massive rush of students to get home for Christmas in fear.

Harry, Joe and Katie were sat in one of the compartments on the train.

"Damm, I doubt anyone but the staff are staying at Hogwarts over Christmas, people were rushing to leave earlier" said Katie.

"Who can blame them, two attacks within a week of each other, and a first year nonetheless" said Harry.

"Why now though, the Chamber hasn't been opened in fifty years, so why would someone open it now, why wait fifty years?" said Joe.

"No idea, but whoever is doing this is going to be in a lot of trouble" said Harry.

"Come on, lets drop the subject for a while, it won't do any good thinking about it" said Katie.

Harry and Joe nodded.

"By the way guys, you know the Ministry Christmas Eve Ball?" said Harry.

"Yeah" said Katie.

"Well I'm allowed to bring up to two guests, you guys wanna come" said Harry.

"Sure" said Joe.

"We'd love too" said Katie.

Harry smiled.

"Come round to mine on Christmas Eve and you can come with us" said Harry.

"Thanks Harry, we'll be there" said Katie.

They kept talking for the rest of the journey until the train pulled into Kings Cross.

Harry said goodbye to them on the platform before they all went their separate ways.

24th December 1992

Harry was stood with Alex at the fireplace in Grimmauld Place waiting for their guests to arrive.

The fireplace roared into life as Susan and Amelia stepped through dressing in their finest dresses.

"Lady Bones, Heiress Bones, welcome" said Harry taking Amelia's hand and kissing her knuckles before doing the same to Susan.

Amelia smiled at him while Susan snickered.

"Well Mr Potter, you remind me of your Father in more ways than one" said Amelia.

She left them and headed for the other sitting room.

Susan went and stood next to Alex who wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Wow Harry, I didn't realise you liked older witches" said Susan.

Alex laughed.

"Ah but Susan your Aunt looks simply stunning tonight, as do you" said Harry smirking.

Susan went slightly red while Alex gently punched him in the arm.

"I don't know who's charm you inherited, my Dad's or your Dad's" said Alex.

The fireplace roared to life as Joe and Katie stepped out.

Alex removed his arm from Susan and stepped in front of Katie.

"Welcome Mr Harper, Miss Bell, you look breathtaking tonight" said Alex kissing her knuckles to her amusement.

"Careful Sue, or I might have to steal him from you" said Katie amusedly.

Susan laughed.

"I don't know who was more charming, him or Harry" said Susan.

Joe and Katie looked at her in confusion.

"Harry just did the same thing to my Aunt, she found him quite charming as well, it seems Alex here has just attempted to out do him" said Susan.

"Harry Potter charming Amelia Bones, you'd have been hexed into oblivion if you failed to impress her" said Joe.

They heard footsteps enter the room.

Sirius and Amelia entered followed by Dorcas and Marlene a few minutes later.

"Shall we get going then?" said Sirius.

"Of course" said Amelia.

Sirius called Kreacher who apparated all of them into the Ministry Of Magic Atrium.

They made their way over to the fountain where the rest of the guests were standing around in groups engaging in conversation over glasses of champagne.

They spotted the Greengrasses stood with the Davis's and Zabini's next to the fountain and made their way over to them.

Once they greeted each other Harry and the others made their way over to one of the large tables and sat down chatting to each other while the adults stayed together.

The chattering died down as The Minister Of Magic Cornelius Fudge stood up on the large stage at the end of the floor.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Lords and Ladies, welcome to the 50th annual Ministry Of Magic Christmas Ball, I hope you have a pleasant evening, enjoy" said Fudge before stepping down from the stage.

Menus appeared on the tables.

Joe and Katie picked up their menus and looked at him questioningly.

Harry smirked and quickly read the menu.

"Observe, medium rare steak dinner" said Harry looking down at his plate.

His selected meal appeared on his plate.

Joe and Katie looked amazed before ordering their own food as did the others.

The group ate their food while discussing what was happening at school and their plans for the holidays.

Once everyone had finished eating the tables in the centre of the room moved to the side creating a large dance floor.

Alex stood up and offered his hand to Susan.

"Shall we dance?" said Alex.

"Of course" said Susan.

The two made their way out onto the dance floor.

Dorcas stood up and walked over to Harry.

"Come and dance with me Harry, please" said Dorcas.

Harry chuckled.

"Of course dear Sister" said Harry taking her hand and leading her out to the dance floor.

Harry held onto Dorcas and led her gracefully around the dance floor.

"It seems Aunt Andi's dance lesson's paid off" said Dorcas.

"Of course they did, you could say that I'm a natural" said Harry smirking.

"Even after you stepped on her toes multiple times" said Dorcas smiling.

"I'm wounded, I didn't step on her toes that often" said Harry.

Dorcas laughed.

"No you didn't, it was more often than that" said Dorcas.

The two laughed as they continued dancing. Once the song ended they started walking back to their table.

As they were approaching the table someone bumped into Dorcas nearly knocking her to the floor but Harry caught her.

"Watch where your going girl" said the snide drawling voice of Lucius Malfoy who was stood with his wife Narcissa Malfoy.

Both of them were dressed in very expensive formal clothes.

Harry turned to face them.

"Lord Malfoy, I believe you owe an apology to Miss Black here, after all you did bump into her" said Harry coolly.

Lucius's face scrunched up with anger as he tried to think of a retort but Narcissa placed her hand on his arm.

"My Husband is sorry for bumping into you Miss Black, he did not mean to do it" said Narcissa kindly.

Lucius looked at her briefly then back at Harry and Dorcas.

"I apologize" said Lucius with a forced smile.

Harry inwardly groaned before a thought came into his mind.

He turned to look at Narcissa who was eyeing his conversation with Lucius with interest.

"Lady Malfoy, would you care for a dance?" said Harry smiling at her.

Narcissa looked slightly shocked before lightly shrugging her shoulders and smiling.

"Of course Mr Potter" said Narcissa holding out her hand.

Lucius looked shocked and was about to retort but a glare from Narcissa caused him to stop.

Dorcas looked shocked for a moment before smirking and walking back to the table.

"You don't mind do you Lucius?" said Narcissa.

Lucius forced a smile.

"Of course not dear, go and enjoy yourself" said Lucius before walking away.

Harry pulled Narcissa's hand to his lips kissing her knuckles before leading her back to the dance floor.

The two started dancing with each other.

"Thank you Lady Malfoy, you did not have to apologize to my Godsister for your Husband" said Harry.

"It was no trouble Mr Potter, I know Lucius would not have apologized for his actions" said Narcissa.

Harry looked at her in slight shock before composing himself.

"You know, Aunt Andi still keeps pictures of you in her house, she misses you" said Harry.

Narcissa stiffened.

"My apologies, I should not have said that" said Harry.

"Its quite alright Mr Potter, my relationship with my Sister is complicated, you did not know" said Narcissa.

Harry nodded.

The two kept dancing for a few minutes before separating.

"You are a good dancer Mr Potter, I rather enjoyed that, thank you" said Narcissa.

"Thank you, and that was rather enjoyable Lady Malfoy, and may I say, you look lovely tonight" said Harry.

Narcissa managed a sad smile.

"You are very kind Mr Potter, farewell" said Narcissa.

"Farewell" said Harry turning and walking back to his table.

Narcissa stood looking at him in deep thought.

"Why can't my own Son be more like him, kind and caring, and he was right, I do miss you Andi" thought Narcissa before she turned and walked away.

Harry arrived back at the table where Sirius, Alex, Joe, Blaise and Katie were looking at him in confusion while the others were laughing slightly.

"What?" said Harry.

Sirius sighed.

"Harry, how come you were dancing with Narcissa?" said Sirius in mild confusion.

"She was rather courteous to me and Dorcas after Lucius knocked Dor to the ground, besides it was priceless to see the look on Malfoy's face when she accepted my offer" said Harry smirking.

"He looked like he was going to explode" said Dorcas.

Sirius grinned.

"Wow, he was really that angry" said Sirius.

"Yeah, if we had been somewhere private I'm sure he would've kicked off" said Harry.

Sirius clapped him on the shoulder before taking Dorcas out to the dance floor.

Harry sat down.

"I guess Sue was right, you do like the older women Harry, and you picked Dad's older cousin as well" said Alex.

Harry laughed.

"Yeah, I mentioned Aunt Andi to her though and though she hid it quite well, I think she was rather sad about the situation with Aunt Andi" said Harry.

"Are you sure?" said Alex.

"Yeah, but she seemed very closed off about it, so I dropped the subject" said Harry.

"So Harry, now that your back, why don't you dance with someone your own age instead, other than Dorcas" said Tracey teasingly.

Harry chuckled.

"Well, any volunteers then, maybe you Tracey?" said Harry.

Tracey laughed before nodding.

"Just don't step on my toes" said Tracey jokingly.

Harry stood up and walked over to her pulling her to her feet before she half dragged him out to the dance floor.

The rest of the group laughed as the two danced rather wildly around the dance floor nearly bumping into Frank and Alice Longbottom in the process.

The pair laughed at the end of the dance before sitting back down.

Unfortunately trouble in the form of a slightly angry and slightly drunk Frank Longbottom approached their table.

He was rather tall with short black hair aged around 38 years old. He was dressed in his formal Longbottom dress robes.

"You ought to be more careful when your dancing around people Heir Potter, given that you nearly bumped into me and my wife" said Frank sounding drunk.

Harry groaned.

"Surely you can let such a thing slide Lord Longbottom, myself and Miss Davis did not mean to do that to you" said Harry kindly with a forced smile.

"Leave them alone Frank" said a slightly annoyed voice from behind him.

Frank turned around and snarled.

"Black" said Frank slightly seething with anger.

"Longbottom" said Sirius in anger.

"Your Godson nearly knocked me and Alice to the floor, I do hope he didn't learn his manners from you, or lack of them" said Frank.

Most of the table gasped looking at him in shock.

Sirius growled.

"You better watch your back Longbottom, threaten my family again and I will kill you" snarled Sirius.

Frank drew his wand pointing it at Sirius who did the same.

This captured the attention of the rest of the guests who were watching with interest.

"What's going on here?" said Marlene.

Just as Sirius was about to respond Neville and a short haired witch in her mid thirties appeared next to Frank.

She put her hand on his wand arm causing him to lower it.

"Come on Frank, Black isn't worth the effort or the time" said Alice glaring at Sirius and Marlene before walking away with Frank and Neville.

The rest of the guests returned to what they were doing.

"Bloody Longbottom, who does he think he is talking to Harry like that?" said Sirius.

Marlene placed her hand on his arm managing to calm him down.

The rest of the night went well before Harry, Joe, Katie, Alex, Susan, Sirius, Marlene, Dorcas and Amelia returned to Bones Manor.


	16. Chapter 16

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

28th December 1992

Harry, Alex, Sirius, Marlene and Andromeda made their way through the crowd of reporters in the Ministry Of Magic Atrium as they walked to the elevators.

"Heir Pottor, is it true your seeking to get Professor Lockhart fired?" said Male Reporter.

"Did he really vanish the bones in your arm?" said a Female Reporter.

"No comment" said Marlene.

They got through the reporters and entered the elevator.

The Male Operator looked at them.

"Floor?" said the Operator with a bored tone.

"Department of Mysteries" said Sirius.

"Yes Lord Black" said the Operator closing the elevator doors.

The elevator reversed before rapidly descending.

The elevator came to a halt 30 seconds later.

"Department Of Mysteries" said a female voice from a speaker.

The five exited the elevator and walked along the corridor towards the courtroom.

Cornelius Fudge was stood talking with Lucius Malfoy at the end of the courtroom.

Lucius locked eyes with Harry and glared at him before he and the others walked into the courtroom.

There was a single medieval black chair in the centre of the oval shaped room. There was a large ovular seating arrangement along the walls of the room with at least five rows of seats. Directly opposite the seat there were two raised platforms each with a throne like chair on them.

Various Witches and Wizards wearing black and purple robes and hats entered the room through the other doors and took their seats.

Sirius gave Harry a quick hug before leading Alex up the stairs to the second row of seats sitting down in the House Black seats.

Marlene kissed Harry's forehead before sitting down in the House Mckinnon seat on the fifth row on the other side of the courtroom to Sirius and Alex.

Andromeda placed her hand on his shoulder and led him to the witness seats at the back of the courtroom.

Once the courtroom was full Fudge and Dumbledore entered and sat down in the seats on the raised platforms.

Harry looked around to see that some of his fellow students were sat with their parents including Susan, Daphne, Neville, Draco and Marcus Flint.

Fudge picked up his gavel and banged it three times.

"Bring in the accused" said Fudge.

Two Auror's left the room.

They returned a few minutes later escorting a dishevelled and nervous looking Gilderoy Lockhart. They sat him down in the chair which caused iron chains to spring up from the armrests and wrap tightly around his wrists.

The two Auror's moved to stand by the entrance facing the rest of the courtroom.

Fudge banged his gavel another three times.

"Disciplinary hearing on the 28th December 1992, looking into offences committed by Gilderoy Edward Lockhart, current residence Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry, prosecutor Lord Sirius Black represented by Andromeda Cassiopeia Tonks _nee_ Black, are there any representatives for the defence?" said Fudge.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore" said Dumbledore standing up.

Lockhart breathed a sigh of relief.

Fudge nodded.

"The Wizergamot recognises Albus Dumbledore, Chief Warlock as the representative for the defendant, will the defendant please confirm his name and date of birth to the Wizergamot?" said Fudge.

"Gilderoy Edward Lockhart, born 20th October 1965, age 27" said Lockhart.

Dumbledore stood up and made his way down to the chamber floor.

He turned to face Fudge.

"The charges?" said Dumbledore.

Fudge nodded and picked up a sheet of parchment.

"The charges of the accused are as follows, removal of bones in the right arm of Harry James Potter, performing healing procedures on said student against the wishes of him and his guardians, and lastly we will numerous complaints about the quality of his teaching for the DADA position at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry" said Fudge.

Members of the Wizergamot began whispering slightly to each other before Fudge banged his gavel causing the whispering to stop.

"Defence you may begin your questioning" said Fudge.

Dumbledore turned to Lockhart.

"Mr Lockhart, could you explain what happened on the afternoon of the 6th November 1992?" said Dumbledore.

Lockhart sat up straight.

"Mr Potter was injured during the Gryffindor Slytherin Quidditch game, I rushed down to the pitch to check if he was okay, when I got there he said that he had a broken arm" said Lockhart.

Dumbledore nodded at him to continue.

"I offered to heal Mr Potter's arm for him, instead of him going all the way to the Hospital wing in pain, he refused my offer and asked to be taken to the Hospital Wing, but I could see that he was slightly delirious so I decided to fix it for him" said Lockhart.

"Which spell did you use?" said Dumbledore.

"Brackium Emendo" said Lockhart.

Some members of the Wizergamot whispered among themselves.

"And what happened next?" said Dumbledore.

Lockhart fidgeted in his seat.

"When I cast the spell, something went wrong, instead of mending his broken arm, it vanished all the bones in his arm, it was accidental on my part" said Lockhart.

More whispers could be heard with some members of shaking their heads in disappointment.

"What happened after that?" said Dumbledore.

"Lord and Lady Black came running over to us, then Lord Black assaulted me" said Lockhart.

A scoff could be heard from where Sirius was sat.

"So you were assaulted by Lord Sirius Black, what injuries did you receive from this?" said Dumbledore.

"A broken nose" said Lockhart.

Gasps and whispers could be heard from around the room. Some members turned to look at Sirius who was looking at Lockhart with anger etched on his face.

"Professor Lockhart, did you intend to banish the bones from Harry Potter's arm" said Dumbledore.

"No, it was an accident" said Lockhart.

Dumbledore nodded and turned to face Fudge.

"Witches and Wizards of the Wizergamot, as you can see my client Gilderoy Lockhart made a mistake, something which he clearly regrets, what is not acceptable is Lord Black's enraged attack on him which left him injured, I ask that we end this trial and let my client continue with his job" said Dumbledore in his grandfather voice.

Members of the Wizergamot began chatting amongst themselves before Fudge banged on his gavel.

"If you have no further questions Chief Warlock then we will hear from Mr Potter's representative, I call Andromeda Tonks to the floor" said Fudge.

Dumbledore nodded and made his way back to his seat.

Andromeda stood up and made her way down to the chamber floor. She stood in front Lockhart who squirmed under her gaze.

"Mr Lockhart, did you administer medical care to my client against his wishes?" said Andromeda.

"Yes, but I could see that he was delirious due to his injury" said Lockhart nervously.

"So you say, but my client refused your help and you administered it to him against his wishes, which is not your right as you are not a certified healer" said Andromeda.

Lockhart spluttered.

"Yes but he needed help" said Lockhart.

"You said Mr Potter asked to be taken to the Hospital Wing, why did you refuse his request?" said Andromeda.

Lockhart fidgeted.

"I thought it would be better to treat him on the pitch" said Lockhart.

"And your treatment only made my clients injuries worse, due to your actions he had to be treated for bone regrowth instead of a broken bone, tell me Mr Lockhart, did you attempt to help Mr Potter after you had vanished his bones?" said Andromeda.

"No, I didn't" said Lockhart.

"So you didn't try to rectify your mistake, how negligent for a Professor" said Andromeda.

"I made a mistake, I don't deserve to be crucified for it" said Lockhart.

"Yes you made a mistake, but it was a mistake which could have been avoided if you respected my clients wishes and allowed him to be taken to the Hospital Wing for treatment, instead you disregarded his wishes and acted of your own accord" said Andromeda.

Harry chuckled watching Lockhart squirm.

Andromeda turned to face Fudge.

"Witches and Wizards of the Wizergamot, as you can see Mr Lockhart ignored the wishes of my client and administered medical help when he had no right to do so, a clear violation of my clients rights, by Mr Lockhart's own admission he did not attempt to help Mr Potter after he vanished Mr Potter's bones, I move for the Wizergamot to remove Professor Lockhart from his position as DADA teacher for gross negligence which resulted in the injury of my client" said Andromeda.

Mutters and whispers could be heard around the chamber until Fudge banged his gavel.

"Though this evidence is damming, do you have any other evidence that questions the defendants quality as a teacher" said Fudge.

"Yes Minister, we have received numerous complaints from students informing us that Professor Lockhart does not teach them the required course material, instead they act out passages from his books, and there was an incident on the 3rd September 1992 where Professor Lockhart failed to help a student who was left dangling from a chandelier almost 25 feet in the air" said Andromeda.

"Is the student in question able to verify this Mrs Tonks?" said Dumbledore leaning back in his chair.

Andromeda looked at him.

"No, the student in question is unable to be hear today due to other commitments, but a witness to this event is hear in this courtroom, and she has agreed to testify against the defendant about the actions of that day" said Andromeda.

"Call this witness forth then" said Fudge.

A black chair similar to the one Lockhart was sat on appeared next to him.

"I call Heiress Daphne Greengrass to the floor" said Andromeda.

Daphne stood up and gracefully made her way down to the chamber floor. She sat down in the seat and looked at Fudge.

"Will the witness please confirm her name and age for the Wizergamot?" said Fudge.

Daphne sat up straight.

"Daphne Elizabeth Greengrass, born 17th March 1980, age 12" said Daphne.

"Proceed with your questions Mrs Tonks" said Fudge.

Andromeda walked over to Daphne.

"Miss Greengrass, could you please describe to the Wizergamot the events of your Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson on the 3rd September 1992?" said Andromeda.

Daphne nodded.

"Professor Lockhart brought a cage of erratic Cornish Pixies into class, he then decided to open the cage releasing the Pixies into the classroom" said Daphne.

"What happened next?" said Andromeda.

"The Pixies began destroying the classroom, they ripped pages out of books and threw various items around the room, then without warning three Pixies picked a student by the name of Dean Thomas up by his ears and carried him up to the chandelier where they left him" said Daphne.

"What did Professor Lockhart do after he released the Pixies?" said Andromeda.

"He acted like nothing was wrong at first, but after a few minutes he ran back into his office leaving the students to deal with the pixies" said Daphne.

Gasps could be heard around the chamber as Professor Lockhart sank in his seat.

"And did Professor Lockhart attempt to help Mr Thomas in any way?" said Andromeda.

"No, in the end some of the other students helped Mr Thomas down" said Daphne.

"Thank you Miss Greengrass, I have no further questions" said Andromeda.

"Very well, does the defence have any questions for the witness?" said Fudge.

Lockhart looked at Dumbledore pleadingly.

Dumbledore thought for a few moments before shaking his head.

"No" said Dumbledore resignedly.

"Very well, Miss Greengrass, you may return to your seat" said Fudge.

Daphne stood up and went back to her seat.

"I think we've heard enough to decide the verdict, raise your hands for guilty" said Fudge.

Nearly all of the members put their hands up causing Lockhart to look fearful.

"And those for not guilty" said Fudge.

The other members put their hands up including Dumbledore.

"Guilty, Gilderoy Lockhart you are permanently removed from your position as DADA teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, you are also ordered to pay a fine of 2,000 Galleons to Mr Potter in compensation for his injuries, court dismissed" said Fudge before banging his gavel.

The Auror's removed the chains on Lockhart's chair before escorting him out of the chamber.

Harry made his way over to Andromeda as Alex, Susan, Daphne, Sirius, Marlene, Amelia and Cyrus made their way over to them.

"Wow, you got him fired and I didn't even have to open my mouth" said Harry.

"He never should have had the job in the first place, at least you might have a competent DADA teacher for the rest of the year" said Andromeda.

"Well its safe to say you might be one of Dumbledore's least favourite people right now, he's been frowning at you for a few minutes now" said Alex.

Harry looked at Dumbledore who was walking towards him with a rather angry frown on his face.

"Chief Warlock, how may I help you?" said Harry as Dumbledore stopped in front of him.

"That was a very harsh thing to do my boy, you just cost a good man his job" said Dumbledore frowning.

Sirius opened his mouth to retort but Harry placed his hand across his chest stopping him.

"With respect Chief Warlock, Filch would've made a better teacher than him, Professor Lockhart was never qualified to teach students" said Harry.

Dumbledore shook his head.

"You disagree with me Chief Warlock?" said Harry.

"I do, your parents would not have done what you just did, they were better than this" said Dumbledore.

Harry glared at him.

"That is enough Chief Warlock, kindly leave us be, lest you want the Minister to be informed of your previous crimes against House Potter" said Andromeda.

Dumbledore swiftly turned on his heel and left.

The group left the chambers and headed back to Grimmauld Place for a small celebration.

The Auror John Dawlish who had been their temporary DADA teacher was given the job for the rest of the year.

15th January 1993

Harry, Joe and Katie were walking through the second floor corridor on their way to the Great Hall for lunch.

Turning a corner they saw Luna sat on one of the benches with tears streaming down her face as she held a small photo in her hands.

"It must be something to do with her Mother?" thought Harry in sadness.

He turned to Joe and Katie.

"I'll meet you guys in the Great Hall" said Harry.

"Don't you want our help?" said Joe.

Harry shook his head.

"I think it might be better if I do this alone" said Harry.

Katie nodded.

"We understand, we'll meet you in the Great Hall" said Katie.

"Make sure she's okay by the end of it" said Joe.

Harry nodded.

The two continued down the corridor as Harry slowly walked over to Luna.

She did not acknowledge him as he sat down on the bench next to her.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Come here" said Harry softly as he pulled her into his arms.

Luna wiped the tears from her eyes but more started to appear.

Harry looked at the photo in her hands.

Luna must have been around 8 or 9 years old. She was sat on a brown settee cuddling a blonde haired woman in her late thirties who was the spitting image of Luna.

"Is that your Mother?" said Harry.

Luna nodded.

"It was taken a few months before she died, today would've been her 41st birthday, me and Daddy are always together on her birthday, but today's the first time I've ever spent it on my own" sobbed Luna.

Harry pulled her head into his chest and rested his chin on it as she cried onto his robes.

"I'm sorry Luna, you don't have to be alone today, I'll stay here with you for as long as you want" said Harry.

Luna wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Thank you Harry, but you don't have to stay here with me, you can go back to your friends" said Luna.

Harry stroked her hair.

"You are my friend Luna, and I'm going to stay right here with you" said Harry.

Luna managed a weak smile.

"Thank you Harry Potter, you're the best friend someone could wish for" said Luna.

Harry smiled sadly.

"Thanks Luna, and I want you to remember one thing" said Harry.

She lifted her head up from his chest and looked at him.

"That despite what anyone says about you, you are an amazing young Witch, remember that, and your Mother would have been proud of you" said Harry.

Luna went slightly red before giving him a sad smile.

"Thank you Harry, I know you know what its like to lose a parent" said Luna sadly.

Harry had slight tears in his eyes.

She noticed this and pulled away from his chest.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I'm so-" said Luna sounding slightly panicked.

"Its okay Luna, you've done nothing wrong" said Harry.

Luna nodded.

Harry wiped the tears out of her eyes.

"Hey don't worry about it, and if you want to you can come with me to the Great Hall when your ready, I'll wait here with you" said Harry.

"What if I don't feel like going to the Great Hall, I don't want you to miss your lunch" said Luna sincerely.

"Then I'll stay with you, being there for a friend in need is far more important than a bit of food" said Harry.

Luna smiled and leaned into his chest.

"Thank you Harry, this is the kindest I have ever been treated by someone who isn't one of my parents" said Luna.

Harry frowned and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"If you decide to come to dinner tonight, I want you to come and sit with me and the others, if you would like to that is" said Harry.

"I will, thank you Harry, for helping me just now, even if I ruined your uniform while you were doing so" said Luna gesturing her head at his chest which had a large wet patch where she had been crying.

"Don't worry, a ruined uniform means nothing to me, just as long as your okay" said Harry.

Luna let go of Harry.

"You really are a wonderful person Harry" said Luna.

She surprised him by giving him a light kiss on the cheek before lightly blushing.

Harry just smiled and placed his hand around her shoulder squeezing it.

"You want to hear a secret?" said Harry.

Luna smiled and nodded.

"You remember that night in the Great Hall at the start of term, when Roger Davies, Michael Corner and Terry Boot suddenly started to smell in the middle of the Great Hall" said Harry.

Luna nodded.

"Well, that wasn't an accident, me and some of my friends did that to them" said Harry.

Luna looked slightly shocked.

"Why?" said Luna.

"Because I despise bullies, Alex told me what they said and did to you, so we got back at them and had Alex leave them notes saying you were under our protection and not to bully you again" said Harry.

Luna smiled.

"You guys did that, just for me?" said Luna.

"Yeah, we seem to have become the resident pranksters at Hogwarts, it gave us a good reason to prank them" said Harry.

Luna laughed slightly.

Harry sat with Luna telling her about all the pranks he and his friends had pulled until the bell rang for afternoon lessons.

27th January 1993

Alex walked into the Ravenclaw Common room to meet up with Luna so they could go down to breakfast.

He noticed that a large number of students were stood around the notice board.

He made his way to the front where a sheet of parchment had been pinned up.

 _Duelling club_

 _Starting Sunday next week in the Great Hall after lunch_

"Well, its about time we had one of those" thought Alex.

Luna made her way down the stairs and made her way over to him.

She saw the notice and smiled.

"Its about time they had a duelling club, hopefully they'll keep this up for the next few years" said Luna.

"Hopefully, come on lets go down to breakfast" said Alex.

The two made their way down to the Great Hall and joined Susan at the Hufflepuff table.

They talked excitedly about the new duelling club as they ate their breakfast.

28th January 1993

Alex and Susan walked into the Great Hall in excitement for the Duelling Club.

All the house tables and head table were gone and a long two foot high blue platform was in the centre of the hall. Students were walking into the Hall and gathering round the platform.

They walked to the close corner of the platform as Professor Flitwick walked up onto the platform.

"Welcome to the first of many Duelling Club sessions at Hogwarts, in these sessions we will be teaching you various spells as well as the common rules and practices of the Duelling Circuit, so pay extra attention to myself and Professor Snape" said Flitwick.

He went on to explain the common practices of Duelling for the next few minutes before vanishing the platform and pairing them up.

Harry was stood talking with Joe and Katie when Professor Flitwick made his way over to them accompanied by Cho Chang.

"Mr Potter, you will be paired with Miss Chang for the next few sessions, from what I have seen from the both of you, you will be well suited against each other" said Flitwick.

Harry nodded to him and sent a smile to Cho who returned it.

They both followed him to a small empty space near the back of the hall.

"Take your positions" said Flitwick.

They stood opposite each other and took out their wands.

"Now, bow to each other" said Flitwick.

The two bowed to each other.

"Remember, disarm only, begin" said Flitwick.

Harry and Cho sent disarming charms at each other with Harry narrowly winning.

He returned her wand to her as Flitwick left them.

They were fairly even for the next few minutes each managing to disarm the other multiple times.

"Congratulations on winning the cup last year Potter" said Cho handing him his wand.

"Thank you, you guys didn't make it easy, and please, call me Harry" said Harry.

"Okay, Harry, just call me Cho, you might not remember but we were sat in the boat together on our way to Hogwarts" said Cho nervously.

"I remember, though its weird how they other two people in that boat with us are my best friends, yet we barely know each other" said Harry.

"Well we haven't really spoke to each other since then" said Cho.

"Well, we could rectify that, why don't you join us in Hogsmeade next time we go" said Harry.

Cho shrugged her shoulders.

"Sure" said Cho.

Gasps and shouts were heard from the centre of the Great Hall.

They turned to see Neville backing away from a large brown snake which was shooting towards him as Flitwick and Snape ran over to them.

Harry and Cho started to move towards them as Flitwick vanished the snake while Snape moved over to Malfoy with an angry expression on his face.

Strangely enough most of the students were not looking at Snape and Malfoy. They were looking at Neville with looks of fear and shock on their faces.

"You stupid little boy, summoning a venomous snake into a hall full of students, what were you thinking?" snarled Snape.

"But Professor, Longbottom was speaking Parsaltongue" said Malfoy.

Harry looked at Neville who went pale before running out of the Great Hall followed by Ron and Hermione.

"Don't be so ridiculous Mr Malfoy" said Snape.

"But he was Professor, we heard him" said one of the male Slytherin 4th years.

Snape looked shocked before grabbing Draco by the scruff of his robes and half dragging him out of the Great Hall.

Harry said goodbye to Cho and made his way over to Joe and Katie.

"What the hell just happened?" said Harry.

Joe and Katie looked at him in slight shock.

"Malfoy summoned that snake and it went straight for Neville, he backed away and shouted something to it in parsaltongue before Flitwick was able to vanish the snake" said Joe.

Harry looked at them in confusion.

"He spoke in parsaltongue?" said Harry.

Katie nodded.

"Yeah, I don't think he knew though, he went pale when Malfoy mentioned it" said Katie.

"Where do you think he went?" said Harry.

"Back to the common room maybe" said Joe.

Harry nodded.

"Come on, why don't we head back, maybe Neville can shed some light on this" said Harry.

The three left the Great Hall and walked back to Gryffindor Tower.

They entered the common room to see Neville, Ron and Hermione stood talking in the centre of the room.

"I didn't know that I was speaking in Parsaltongue, I've never done that before" said Neville.

"You know this is very dark stuff Neville" said Ron nervously.

"I know, but I didn't mean to, it was bloody Malfoy's fault, he summoned that snake, if I didn't do something it would have bitten me" said Neville who then saw Harry, Joe and Katie stood looking at them.

He fixed Harry with a small glare before placing his hand on Ron's shoulder and leading him up the stairs followed by Hermione.

"He didn't know he was a parsalmouth, that's really something" said Joe.

Harry nodded.

"I think we might be best leaving him alone about this, if he didn't know then he isn't going to tell us" said Harry.

The three decided to do some of their homework.


	17. Chapter 17

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

5th February 1993

Alex and Susan made their way into the Great Hall for lunch. They made their way over to where Harry, Joe and Katie were sat at the Gryffindor table and joined them.

They noticed that quite a few Gryffindor students kept trying to move away from Neville, Ron and Hermione and were whispering to themselves while looking at him.

"It seems quite a few in our house think he's Slytherin's Heir" said Harry.

"What, why would they think that?" said Susan.

"Parsalmouth, a load of rubbish if you ask me, there have been numerous Parsalmouth's throughout history, not all of them would have been related to Salazar Slytherin" said Joe.

"But they haven't changed their minds, it seems a lot of them are frightened of him" said Katie.

"Its still very worrying though, why haven't they caught the person behind this yet?" said Alex.

"Whoever is behind this is covering their tracks really well, too well, people seem to think it might be a Slytherin, but what if it isn't, what if its someone no one suspects" said Susan.

"It would be natural for people to assume it is a Slytherin, since the person is the Heir to Slytherin house, but I can't comprehend the idea of a student being capable of doing this" said Alex.

"I know, but we have to be extra careful, trust nobody but each other, and be on your guard at all times, there's no telling who could be next" said Harry.

Alex and Susan nodded.

"You two stay with the others at all times, watch each other's backs" said Katie.

"We will" said Susan.

"What about you guys?" said Alex.

"We'll watch each other's backs, we're together nearly all of the time" said Joe.

They continued eating their lunch until it was time for afternoon lessons.

 _Later that evening…_

Alex and Susan were walking along the corridor heading to the Great Hall for dinner.

They turned one of the corners and came to a halt gasping in shock.

Nearly Headless Nick was floating still in the centre of the corridor. He was a smoking dark grey instead of his usual transparent colour and his almost severed head was hanging limply on his shoulder.

"What happened to him?" said Susan in shock.

Alex looked past Nick where a familiar blonde haired boy was lying face up on the floor a few feet away.

"Malfoy?" said Alex in shock.

"Is he?" said Susan as Alex knelt down next to Malfoy.

"Petrified, he looks terrified though" said Alex.

Loud footsteps could be heard approaching them.

Alex looked up to see Professor Snape striding over to them with an emotionless expression on his face.

"Professor, we just found him here" said Susan as Alex stood up.

Snape ignored her and dropped down next to Malfoy.

He pulled his wand out.

"Expecto Patronum" said Snape.

White mist emerged from his wand forming a faint silvery doe that stood next to him.

"Madam Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore to the third floor corridor outside classroom 15" said Snape.

The doe nodded and walked away from them.

"A corporeal patronus" said Susan in surprise.

Snape ignored her.

"Can we go to the Great Hall Professor?" said Alex.

"No, you will stay there until I say so" said Snape in slight frustration.

Alex stood next to Susan and took her hand.

Madam Pomfrey, Professor Dumbledore and Professor Mcgonagall came running towards them nearly five minutes later.

Mcgonagall walked Alex and Susan to the Great Hall while Pomfrey and Dumbledore stayed with Snape and Malfoy.

Once they arrived in the Great Hall they spotted Harry, Joe and Katie sat at the Ravenclaw table with Cho Chang and a blonde haired 3rd year Alex recognised as Marietta Edgecombe. They went over and sat down next to them.

"Been wondering where you guys have been" said Harry.

Alex looked up and down the table to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

"There's been another attack" said Alex quietly.

"Who?" said Cho in shock.

"Draco Malfoy, we found him about ten minutes ago" said Susan.

"A pureblood got attacked, I thought this thing was attacking Muggleborns" said Marietta.

"It seems so, they'll probably mention it after dinner" said Joe.

"Do you think it was Longbottom, he is a parsalmouth after all, and he hates Malfoy" said Marietta.

Harry shook his head.

"No, Longbottom's not talented or powerful enough to do this" said Harry.

"And most of our year hate Malfoy, including some in Slytherin" said Alex.

Marietta did not look convinced but did not press the matter further.

Professor Dumbledore walked back into the Great Hall just as the deserts appeared.

He sat down at the head table and whispered something to Professor Mcgonagall.

Once all of the students had finished their dinner Dumbledore stood up and walked to the front of the head table.

"Your attention please, earlier tonight another student was attacked and petrified, now I can't tell you who it is, but your heads of house will have more information for you when you return to you common rooms, prefects will lead their students back to their houses right now, goodnight" said Dumbledore.

Harry, Joe and Katie said goodbye to the others before walking back to the Gryffindor table.

Alex followed the Ravenclaw students out of the Great Hall with Cho and Marietta.

Once he was back in Ravenclaw Tower he walked up to his room and took the two way mirror out of his trunk.

"Padfoot" said Alex holding the mirror to his face.

Sirius appeared in the mirror.

"Hey Pup, what's happened?" said Sirius sounding concerned.

Alex sighed.

"There's been another attack, earlier tonight" said Alex.

Sirius scowled.

"Again, do you know who it is" said Sirius.

"Malfoy, me and Sue found him and Nearly Headless Nick in one of the corridors, he's been petrified just like the others" said Alex.

Sirius rubbed his hand through his hair in frustration.

"Unbelievable, Dawlish wasn't just given the job because he was a temporary professor during Lockhart's suspension, he was assigned to investigate the chamber, but it appears he isn't getting anywhere with his investigation" said Sirius.

"There's a lot of people who think that Neville is behind this, and there'll be even more thinking that when they find out that it was Malfoy who was attacked" said Alex.

"The Auror's are at a dead end about the Chamber, we've been looking into the attacks from 50 years ago but we've come up with nothing" said Sirius.

"The more and more I think about it, the more likely it is that a student is behind this, but we've no idea who" said Alex.

Sirius nodded.

"I know you and the others are trying to figure out who is behind this, but don't, you just concentrate on staying safe, and watch your back, this latest attack means the Heir probably doesn't care about targeting Muggleborns any more, it seems everyone is a potential target now" said Sirius.

"Okay" said Alex.

"I'll see you guys at Harry's next match in three weeks, till then keep me updated on everything" said Sirius.

"Okay Dad, I love you" said Alex.

"I love you too Pup, stay safe, you and the others" said Sirius.

Alex nodded.

Sirius disappeared from the mirror.

Harry was sat with Joe, Katie and Astoria on one of the settee's in the Gryffindor Common room along with the rest of the students.

Professor Mcgonagall walked into the common room and stood next to the fireplace.

"Attention please" said Mcgonagall as the students looked at her with interest.

"As you are aware, earlier tonight another student was attacked and petrified, I normally shouldn't tell you this but the student was Draco Malfoy, a second year Slytherin" said Mcgonagall.

Whispers could be heard from around the common room.

Mcgonagall held her hands up.

"Silence" said Mcgonagall.

The whispers stopped.

"You are not to leave the tower until I return to escort you to breakfast, is that clear?" said Mcgonagall.

The students nodded their heads and mumbled yes.

"Good" said Mcgonagall before she turned and walked out of the common room.

Multiple students started whispering while glancing at Neville.

"Could he really be the Heir?"

"He's a parsalmouth, he must be"

"But he's a Gryffindor"

Katie stood up.

"Quiet!" shouted Katie.

Nearly everyone in the house turned to look at her.

"Listen to yourselves, do you really believe the slightly less than talented Neville Longbottom is the Heir Of Slytherin?" said Katie.

"Hey, and no I'm not the Heir!" shouted Neville indiginantly.

"He's more talented than you Bell!" shouted Ron.

"That's enough!" shouted Joe as he and Harry stood up.

"You people think he is the Heir just because he is a parsalmouth, you are pathetic, accusing one of your own based off of something that he was unaware of" said Harry.

Angry shouts could be heard around the house.

"You call us pathetic, you think that because your a Potter you can talk to the rest of us like we're beneath you" said the dark blonde haired Cormac Mclaggen.

Harry turned to look at him and drew his wand.

"Bindus"

Suddenly to the shock off Harry and nearly everyone in the house Cormac's arms shot out to the side and he was slowly lifted a few feet into the air like a stiff puppet.

Gasps could be heard around the common room as Cormac stared at where Harry was standing.

Harry looked to his right to see Joe glaring and pointing his wand at Cormac.

"Let me go" grunted Cormac.

Harry grabbed Joe's wand arm.

"Let him go Joe, he's not worth it" said Harry.

Joe lowered Cormac to the floor and cancelled the spell.

Cormac's arms dropped to his side and he looked at Joe with a mix of anger and fear in his eyes before walking up the stairs.

Most of the house looked at Joe in shock.

Katie walked over to Joe.

"What was that spell?" said Katie curiously.

"One of my Great Grandfather's spells, I was reading up on his personal spell book last summer, its a bit of a mix between the levitation spell and a light petrification spell" said Joe.

"Interesting, I wasn't aware such a spell existed" said Harry.

Joe shook his head.

"The spells in the book are ones my Great Grandfather invented, along with some from my Grandfather, no one outside of our family knows these spells, there's a few dangerous ones in there as well" said Joe.

"How dangerous?" said Katie.

"Deadly, some that are as dangerous as the Unforgivable Curses" said Joe.

"Wow, no wonder those are kept in the family, imagine what would happen if certain people got their hands on them" said Harry.

"Exactly, that's why they are kept as a family secret, I couldn't even tell you any of the spells because of the family magic protecting the knowledge" said Joe.

Harry clapped him on the shoulder.

"Fair enough, come on, we need to finish Snape's essay for tomorrow, I don't fancy another detention of cleaning cauldrons" said Harry.

Joe chuckled as the three walked over to one of the desks to do their homework.

28th February 1993

Harry and Katie exited the Gryffindor team tent along with the rest of the team and started walking towards the pitch entrance.

Suddenly Professor Mcgonagall appeared at the entrance and quickly made her way over to them.

"Professor Mcgonagall" said Wood curiously.

"This match has been cancelled" said Mcgonagall.

"You can't cancel Quidditch" said Wood in shock.

"Silence Wood, you and your teammates will go to Gryffindor Tower now" said Mcgonagall.

"But Professor" said Wood.

"No buts Mr Wood, now go, don't bother getting changed, your clothes will be sent up to your rooms later" said Mcgonagall slightly angrily.

Wood turned around and skulked back into the tent to put his broom away.

Harry and the others did the same before they all walked back up to Gryffindor Tower.

Meanwhile Alex was sat with Susan and Hannah in the Hufflepuff stands waiting for the match to start.

To his surprise Professor Dumbledore made his way onto the pitch and pointed his wand at his throat.

"Your attention please, I'm sorry to have to inform you that this Quidditch match has been cancelled, please return to your dormitories at once" said Professor Dumbledore in a loud magnified voice.

"What's going on?" said Hannah.

Alex went slightly pale.

"I think there's been another attack" said Alex.

"Really?" said Susan.

Alex nodded.

"There must have been, they wouldn't have cancelled the match otherwise" said Alex.

"You better get going then, before the rest of the House set off without you" said Susan.

Alex wrapped her in a hug.

"I'll see you at dinner" said Alex.

"I'll wait for you" said Susan.

The two separated and Alex left to join the Ravenclaw students.

Joe entered the common room and made his way over to Harry and Katie who were sat at one of the tables. They were still dressed in their Quidditch Robes.

"What do you think this is all about?" said Harry.

Joe shook his head.

"Apparently there's been another attack, I overheard some of the older years mention it, they could be wrong though" said Joe.

"I doubt it, they wouldn't have sent us back here unless there had been an attack" said Katie.

Astoria and Ginny made their way over to them.

"Hey, have you guys seen Weasley and Longbottom?" said Astoria.

"No, but I saw Mcgonagall pull them aside when we were told to come back here, I haven't seen them since" said Joe.

"Do you know why Mcgonagall wanted to speak with them?" said Ginny slightly anxiously.

"No, she just told them to go with her" said Joe.

A few moments later the entrance opened.

Professor Mcgonagall walked in followed closely by Neville and Ron who looked rather upset.

"Attention please" said Mcgonagall coming to a halt in the centre of the room.

Everyone turned to look at her.

"There was another attack this afternoon, the student who was attacked is one of your fellow housemates" said Mcgonagall.

Gasps and whispers could be heard from the students.

"Silence, now as usual, you are not to leave the tower until I return to collect you for dinner, the same rules about being escorted by teachers still applies but stricter rules will be put into place, firstly when you are not in lessons or at meals you will be in here, you are not to leave the tower under any circumstances, if you need to send any mail, you will give it to me and I will mail it for you, the same goes if you require books from the library, there are no exceptions, understood" said Mcgonagall.

The entire room was silent.

"Good, but there is one last thing I must tell you, unless the person behind these attacks is caught, it is very likely that the school will be closed" said Mcgonagall solemnly.

Surprisingly nobody voiced any objections to this as Professor Mcgonagall left the common room.

Harry and Katie went back to their rooms to get changed.

Joe, Astoria and Ginny were talking Neville and Ron when Harry and Katie returned.

Joe and Astoria spotted them and made their way over to them.

"It's Hermione" said Astoria.

"What?" said Katie.

"She was attacked, apparently she was found near the library" said Joe.

Harry groaned and suddenly punched the smooth stone wall before wincing.

"Not another second year, why hasn't this been sorted by now?" said Harry in frustration.

The others looked at him in slight shock before he chuckled.

"Oops, guess I went a little too far then" said Harry rubbing his bruised knuckles wincing slightly.

"A bit too far, you've hurt your hand" said Astoria in shock.

"I'll be fine, I've had worse" said Harry.

"That's a big bruise" said Astoria sounding concerned.

"Its okay, I'll get it under some running water in a bit, it'll be healed by dinner" said Harry.

Harry and Joe made their way up to their room a few minutes later.

29th February 1993

Alex walked into the Great Hall along with the rest of Ravenclaw house.

He made his way over to where Susan was sat with Hannah, Ernie, Sally-Anne and Justin at the Hufflepuff table.

There where gasps and whispers around the Great Hall as most of the students were looking at the staff table.

Alex and Susan looked up at the staff table.

To their surprise Professor Snape was sat in Dumbledore's chair slowly eating his breakfast while sending the occasional glare to students who he caught staring at him.

"Why is Snape sat in Dumbledore's chair?" said Susan.

"No idea, not unless-" said Alex.

"Dumbledore's been sacked, Mcgonagall told all of the prefects this morning" interrupted Penelope Clearwater who was sat behind Alex at the Ravenclaw table.

"Sacked" said Sally-Anne in shock.

"They might as well close the school now then, there'll be an attack a day" said Hannah.

"I can't believe they sacked Dumbledore, no one else in this castle will be able to stop these attacks now that he's gone" said Ernie.

"No offence Ernie, but he hasn't exactly been able to stop them so far, what makes you think that he would be able to do so now" said Alex.

"Dumbledore's the greatest wizard alive today, if anyone is going to stop this threat it's going to be him, bloody Slytherin, always find a way to cause trouble here at Hogwarts" said Ernie.

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Alex.

"Slytherins cause all sorts of trouble at this school, and one of them is most likely Salazar Slytherin's heir, I bet these attacks would stop if they removed the Slytherin's from this school or something" said Ernie.

"Come off it Macmillan, you can't vilify an entire house over the actions of a single person" said Alex in annoyance.

"And I suppose your happy with the fact that they enjoy spreading their pureblood bigotry and prejudice throughout Hogwarts, not too mention every person who comes out of that house goes dark" said Ernie.

Alex scoffed.

"Its pointless arguing with you Macmillan, from what I can tell your a prejudice bigot, you spend more time judging Slytherin students due to their house ties than trying to befriend them, come on Sue, lets change tables" said Alex.

"Gladly" said Susan.

The two stood up and made their way over to some empty seats on the Ravenclaw table where Anthony and Terry Boot were sat talking.

They sat down next to them.

Anthony leaned over to them as they poured themselves some pumpkin juice.

"Did you guys hear, they've arrested Hagrid, they say he's the person behind these attacks" said Anthony.

Alex looked at him peculiarly.

"They what, surely that's some sort of joke" said Alex.

"Its true, the Minister arrived at the school last night to arrest him, apparently they're sending him to Azkaban today" said Terry.

"Why on earth would they think Hagrid is the one behind this?" said Susan.

"You didn't know?" said Terry in slight shock.

"Didn't know what?" said Alex.

"When the Chamber was opened 50 years ago, Hagrid was caught by a fellow student and expelled, he was the one who opened the Chamber last time, and it looks like he did it again this year" said Terry.

"Hagrid's not the one behind this, he's harmless, and I really doubt he was the one responsible all those years ago as well" said Alex.

They all decided to stop talking about it.

 _Later that day…_

Sirius was sat in his cubicle in the auror office.

He was pouring over old letters and newspaper articles when Nymphadora Tonks turned up at his cubicle.

"Sirius, you need to come with me" said Tonks.

Sirius looked up at her.

"What is it Dora?" said Sirius.

"Fudge is claiming he caught the person behind the attacks, you need to see who it is" said Tonks.

Sirius stood up and followed her out of the office.

The two walked down to the holding cells where Fudge was stood with Lucius Malfoy and the brown haired toad faced Madam Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge.

To their shock a depressed and exhausted Hagrid was stood in the cage behind them.

"What's going on here Minister, why is this man in a cell?" said Sirius.

"This man is the one responsible for the attacks Auror Black" said Fudge.

"We arrested him last night when Auror Dawlish alerted us to another attack on a student" said Umbridge.

"And you arrested Hagrid based on what evidence" said Sirius as Amelia and Kingsley Shacklebolt entered the room.

"He was the one who was behind the attacks fifty years ago" said Fudge.

"I didn't do nothin" said Hagrid in a weary voice.

"And why wasn't the DMLE notified about this?" said Amelia.

"But they were, Dolores notified your office" said Fudge sweating slightly.

"As Head of the DMLE I received no such notice" said Amelia.

"As the Minister said I notified your office, I arrived last night and took two Auror's with me to Hogwarts to arrest Hagrid along with the Minister" said Dolores proudly.

Sirius turned to Lucius.

"Mr Malfoy, what are you doing in the holding cells, you have no authorisation or reason to be here?" said Sirius.

"Lucius was with me at Hogwarts last night when Hagrid was arrested" said Fudge.

"And why was that, Mr Malfoy had not reason to be there, he is not an Auror or high ranking member of the Ministry" said Sirius.

"I was there on other business Auror Black" said Lucius.

"What business was that?" said Sirius.

"I don't see how that is relevant" said Lucius snidely.

Fudge sighed.

"Tell him Lucius" said Fudge.

Lucius stiffly nodded.

"Very well, I was at the school last night to remove Albus Dumbledore as Headmaster after the agreement of all members of the board of governors" said Lucius.

"Do you have any proof of this agreement?" said Sirius.

Lucius pulled a scroll out of his robes and held it out to him.

"You'll find all the signatures on there" said Lucius as Sirius's took the scroll and read it.

Amelia turned to look at Fudge.

"Well now that that's sorted, I will speak to Mr Hagrid now" said Amelia.

"That will not be necessary Amelia, we have already spoken to Mr Hagrid in the presence of two Auror's, due to the nature of the charges against him we feel it is safer to hold him in Azkaban until his trial" said Dolores.

Amelia was fuming inside.

"That is not your decision to make Dolores, you cannot just send people to Azkaban to await trial without the permission of the Head of the DMLE" said Amelia angrily.

Fudge took his bowler hat off and held it in both his hands.

"Actually Amelia, we can, I authorised this, Mr Hagrid will be escorted to Azkaban shortly to await trial" said Fudge.

Dolores pulled a scroll out of her handbag and handed it to Amelia.

"Here is all the relevant documentation" said Dolores smiling too sweetly.

Amelia read the scroll and sighed in resignation.

"Very well, you can take him" said Amelia.

"Good" said Dolores as two middle aged male Auror's walked into the room.

"Escort Mr Hagrid to Azkaban" said Fudge.

The two Auror's nodded and took Hagrid out of the cell placing unbreakable handcuffs on him and leading him out of the room.

Amelia left the room swiftly followed by Kingsley.

Sirius and Tonks followed them shortly after.

About half an hour later Sirius found himself inside her office.

"Why did you let them take him Amelia?" said Sirius.

"I couldn't refuse, Fudge had an emergency decree enabling him to hold similar power to the Head of the DMLE, I cannot work out how he got it though, something like that would have never been passed in the Wizergamot" said Amelia.

"Maybe Malfoy and his Death Eater goons got it for him, they make up a third of the Wizergamot, maybe more" said Sirius.

"I don't know who got it for him or how he managed to get it, but what I am about to tell you must be off the record" said Amelia.

"Of course" said Sirius.

Amelia pointed her wand at the door and activated all of the silencing and locking charms.

"I want you to look into this for me, find out how he got that decree, no one else must know about this, you report only too me on this one" said Amelia.

"Consider it done" said Sirius.

"Good" said Amelia pointing her wand at the door and deactivating the charms.

"You can go now Sirius" said Amelia.

He nodded to her before walking out of the room.


	18. Chapter 18

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

24th March 1993

Harry, Joe and Katie walked into the Great Hall and sat down next to Alex and Susan at the Hufflepuff table.

Before they could pick up food gasps and whispers could be heard from around the Great Hall. Harry looked towards the doors and gasped in surprise.

Albus Dumbledore walked through the doors dressed in his usual sky blue robes and walked up to the head table.

He sat down and began to eat.

Once everyone was finished with their breakfast Dumbledore stood up and called for quiet.

"Attention, I am delighted to announce that we caught the culprit behind these attacks last night, Hogwarts along with all of its staff and students owe thanks to two people, Neville Longbottom and Ron Weasley for their efforts in defeating the Heir Of Slytherin and stopping the threat, I award them 200 points each for their efforts" said Dumbledore.

There was a mixed reaction to the news from the students.

Multiple students congratulated Neville and Ron who as usual soaked up all the attention, others complained about Dumbledore handing Gryffindor the House Cup once again and playing favourites with the Boy Who Lived, a few from the Slytherin table whispered about how they should have let the Heir continue attacking muggleborns.

Dumbledore called for silence once again.

"I am also delighted to announce that all of the petrified students will be cured by tomorrow morning" said Dumbledore to great applause from most of the students.

"About time" said Alex.

"And I have one more special treat for you all, all the exams bar OWL's and NEWT's have been cancelled" said Dumbledore.

Cheers erupted throughout the Great Hall.

"Awesome, we can relax a little bit now" said Susan.

"Yeah, and hopefully we can have a normal ending to the year now" said Harry.

"We haven't had a normal ending to a year since our first year" said Katie.

"Even though Professor Selwyn severed his own arm" said Joe.

"I still can't believe a retired Auror managed to do that to himself" said Harry.

"He was being careless, and when your careless, accidents can happen" said Joe.

"Too right, but that position does seem to be jinxed, no one can last more than a year, or in Lockhart's case, a few months" said Alex.

"Makes you wonder what's next,we've had a retired Auror, a weak minded fool, a fraud and a current Auror, I mean what do you do to top that?" said Susan.

"Vampire maybe" said Joe.

Alex shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe, I mean Dumbledore is mad enough to do that" said Alex.

They kept talking until it was time to go to their classes for the day.

Hagrid returned to Hogwarts that night after being released from Azkaban after being cleared of the charges from 50 years ago. The petrified students returned to the Great Hall at breakfast the next morning.

18th May 1993

The last few months of term passed without incident and before they knew it they were back on the train returning home for the summer.

Alex and Susan were stood outside of the compartment which contained Harry, Joe and Katie.

"So me and my Aunt are going to France for a few weeks, we're leaving in a few days, would you like to come with us?" said Susan.

"I'd love too, your Aunt has a house over there doesn't she" said Alex.

"Yeah, on the coast near Nice, she used to take me to the beach every time we went there during the summer, we have this beautiful private beach at the cottage, you'll love it" said Susan.

"I'm sure I will, I get to spend time on a beach with you" said Alex wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Oh you want to see me on a beach, in my swimsuit, you know my Aunt will be there with us, you don't want to upset her by doing something she does not approve off do you" said Susan teasingly.

Alex chuckled.

"Oh I don't think that would matter, your Aunt knows how much I love you, I'm sure she'd understand" said Alex.

Susan chuckled and blushed slightly.

"Come on, lets go inside" said Alex.

The two walked into the compartment sitting down next to Katie.

"We still coming up to yours next week Harry?" said Joe.

"Yeah, Sirius is getting tickets for the Pride Of Portree game against the Chudley Cannons next week" said Harry.

"Great, I've missed Quidditch since they cancelled the matches a few months ago" said Katie.

"And we're gonna be watching the most one sided game ever, I don't know why Weasel keeps banging on about how the Cannons are going win the league every year, they've finished bottom every year for the last 10 years" said Joe.

"Try 20" said Alex.

They laughed for a few moments before continuing their conversation.

"Me and Alex are going to France with my Aunt in a few days" said Susan.

"Whereabouts in France?" said Joe.

"Nice, my Aunt has a cottage there, by the beach, I think she's on about attending a party at the French Minister's manor as well" said Susan.

"The French Minister, Jacques Delacour, sounds good, bet that will be enjoyable" said Harry.

"Will anyone else from the British Ministry be there, like Fudge?" said Joe.

"No, from what I gather Fudge isn't very well liked by anyone outside Britain, not to mention he seems more concerned about consolidating his own power instead of improving relations between Magical Britain and other Magical Governments" said Susan.

"No wonder this country is so fixated on the old ways, Purebloods have all the power, Werewolves and other half breeds are basically exiled from society and confined to poverty" said Alex.

"I heard rumours of a potion for Werewolves being used in Magical Germany, why don't the British Ministry get some of that for the Werewolves in Britain, it would certainly solve a few problems" said Katie.

Harry sarcastically laughed.

"It would make the treatment of Werewolves better, some of the old families won't allow that, they thrive on looking down at people they feel are beneath them, Werewolves included" said Harry.

"Fudge and that Undersecretary of his are no different, Dolores Umbridge detests anyone who is not a pureblood witch or wizard" said Susan.

"Not to mention Lucius Malfoy, Fudge's pockets get deeper and deeper year by year thanks to that man, and Lucius Malfoy seems to be given free reign to do what he wants" said Alex.

Right on cue the door opened.

Draco, Crabbe and Goyle were stood in the doorway.

"My Father bribes him so we get the favours we deserve, pretty soon we will be the most influential family in Britain" drawled Draco.

"Well the world needs dreamers like you and your ponce of a Father Malfoy, this country would not be able to function without them" said Harry.

Draco looked annoyed.

"Watch it Potter, my Father will hear about-" said Draco before Harry cut him off.

"Again with your Father, maybe you ought to grow a pair and fight your own battles, or are that much of a coward" said Harry.

Draco snarled and whipped out his wand but Harry was faster.

"Petrificus Totalis" said Harry.

Draco's arms and legs snapped together before he dropped to the floor.

Joe and Susan pulled out their wands and did the same to Crabbe and Goyle.

Harry exited the compartment and looked in the next compartment which was empty to their delight.

The three moved Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle into the empty compartment before pulling the blinds down and closing the door.

"Colloportus" said Alex pointing his wand at the lock.

The door sealed locking them in the room.

"At least they won't be bothering anyone else for the rest of the journey" said Katie.

They went back into their compartment for the rest of the journey.

The Hogwarts Express pulled into Kings Cross in the early evening.

Harry and the others gathered up their luggage and left the train.

They met up with Sirius, Marlene and Dorcas on the platform.

"Welcome back" said Dorcas giving Harry, Alex and Susan hugs.

Katie and Joe said goodbye to them before leaving.

Susan looked around for Amelia.

"Your coming with us Susan, your Aunt's been called into an emergency meeting at the Ministry, she'll be back later this evening" said Marlene.

Susan nodded.

Sirius loaded her trunk and owl onto Alex's trolley before leading them off the platform.

They all went back to Grimmauld Place.

Amelia arrived at about 9 that evening.

She and Sirius went into Sirius's study.

"Fudge has just tried to get Dawlish the DADA job on a permanent basis, but Dumbledore insisted on finding a new Professor, Fudge called me in to back him up about Dawlish being a suitable Professor, but I didn't back him up, Fudge was livid and gave him until August to find a new Professor" said Amelia.

"How did Dumbledore react?" said Sirius.

"Strangely, he looked like he was about to protest before stopping himself and accepting the terms, I think he might have had already had his next DADA Professor in mind" said Amelia.

"Did he give any hint as to who it was?" said Sirius.

"No, but I got the feeling it was someone Fudge wouldn't approve of" said Amelia.

"We'll have to wait and see, knowing Dumbledore he will be rather tight lipped about this" said Sirius.

"He will, have you found any more information about how Fudge got that decree passed without the knowledge of the Wizergamot" said Amelia.

Sirius shook his head.

"Not much, but it looks like Lucius Malfoy and Pastel Parksinson had a hand in getting it passed directly by Fudge and Umbridge, it never went through the Wizergamot" said Sirius.

"How did it get passed then?" said Amelia.

"Through the Office of the Minister of Magic, its not the first time something like this has happened, members of my family were known to get their own laws passed years ago, I'm not sure how they managed to do it this time though" said Sirius.

"So you're at a dead end with it then" said Amelia.

Sirius nodded.

"Yeah, I've exhausted all of my leads" said Sirius in resignation.

Amelia nodded.

"Very well, you can drop the assignment now, and you'll be the Acting Head of the DMLE while I'm gone" said Amelia.

Sirius nodded.

Amelia and Susan went home shortly afterwords.

22nd May 1993

Amelia unlocked the door to a two story cream stone cottage backing onto the beach.

She was dressed in a yellow blouse and jeans.

Alex and Susan followed her inside.

The interior was very modest with a stone fireplace surrounded by a leather settee and leather chairs, a small dining table, small modest kitchen and a wizarding radio on the small windowsill.

"Take your things upstairs, then you can go out to the beach" said Amelia.

Alex and Susan carried their trunks upstairs to their rooms. Alex had been given the room across from Susan's room.

His room was fairly simple with a wooden single bed, large wardrobe, a chest of drawers and an oak wooden desk. There was a single window looking out onto the beach.

He place his trunk on his bed and opened it.

As he was putting his clothes in the wardrobe and chest of drawers there was a knock at the door.

He put the clothes he was holding back in his trunk and made his way over to the door.

He opened the door and his eyes widened.

Susan was stood in the doorway wearing an orange one piece swimsuit. She had a small bag hanging from her right shoulder.

She blushed madly when she saw Alex staring at her.

"Like what you see?" said Susan nervously.

Alex nodded.

"You look amazing" said Alex in slight shock.

She went red and looked down at the ground.

"I'll be ready in a minute" said Alex.

"Don't take too long" said Susan.

Alex smiled before closing the door.

He quickly got changed into a pair of blue swimming shorts and some sandals.

He picked up his towel and walked out of the room.

He looked at Susan.

"Race you" said Alex.

He set off running before she had a chance to answer.

He ran through the house and out of the back door leading to the beach.

Once he was on the beach he laid his towel on the sand and sat down.

Susan jogged over to him and laid her towel down next to him.

She sat down and leaned into him.

"As many times I have been here with Auntie, its just been us, it used to be our quiet relaxation time, but I'm glad your here, its nice to have some more company" said Susan.

Alex smiled.

"I can think of no one else I'd rather be with at this moment" said Alex.

"Not even a Veela?" said Susan teasingly.

"Nope" said Alex.

Susan went red and leaned her head towards him.

Alex followed suit and kissed her.

The two broke apart after a few seconds.

They looked into each others eyes before leaning forwards and sharing another kiss.

Amelia stepped out onto the porch looking at the pair.

She smiled before walking back inside.

Alex and Susan spent the rest of the afternoon sunbathing on the beach and swimming in the sea before heading back inside when they had had enough.

25th May 1993

Alex, Susan and Amelia walked up the footpath to a large old style mansion.

Alex was dressed in his House Black dress robes. Susan was dressed in a gold ball gown with her hair tied back in a ponytail along with a grey travelling cloak. Amelia was dressed in a blue ballgown with her hair curled for the night along with a green travelling cloak.

Once they reached the large oak double doors at the end of the path.

Amelia used the large brass knocker to knock on the door.

A few seconds later the door opened to reveal a tall black haired Butler dressed in a tuxedo holding a large book in his hands.

"Amelia Bones, plus two" said Amelia.

The Butler opened the book to the first page and tapped his wand to it.

The page glowed gold before the Butler looked back at them with a kind smile on his face.

"Come in" said the Butler stepping aside allowing them to enter.

The three walked inside and the Butler turned to face them with his hands clasped behind his back.

"In the dining room" said the Butler gesturing to the dining room with his right hand.

"Thank you" said Amelia.

The Butler nodded and turned back to face the door.

Amelia led them through to the dining room which was filled with dozens of Witches and Wizards dressed in the fanciest of clothes.

"If only the Ferret could see us now, he'd be so jealous" whispered Alex.

"If his Father was here he would be kissing the boots of every high ranking official in sight" whispered Susan.

Amelia turned to Susan.

"Susan, none of that" hissed Amelia who let a small smile slip through her hard visage.

Susan went red before following Amelia inside.

A tall blonde woman in her late thirties dressed in a white ball gown and white gloves spotted them enter and made her way over to them.

Amelia smiled when she saw her approach.

"Appolline" said Amelia fondly smiling.

"Amelia" said Appoline returning her smile.

The two kissed each other on the cheeks before looking at Alex and Susan.

Susan smiled and made her way over to Appolline who wrapped her in a hug.

Alex walked up to them.

"Lady Delacour, meet my betrothed Alexander Black, Alex this is Appolline Delacour, she and Auntie went to school together" said Susan.

Alex smiled and took her hand softly kissing her knuckles.

He felt a soft calming pressure at the back of his mind trying to take over his senses but he resisted it.

"Lady Delacour, a pleasure" said Alex.

Appolline smiled at Alex before leaning down into Susan's ear and whispering something to her that caused her to look at Alex and blush.

Appolline turned back to Amelia.

"Come and join us at the head table tonight" said Appolline.

Amelia nodded.

Appolline led them into the room and up towards the high table at the top end of the room.

When they reached the table they saw an average height muscly man with short brown hair dressed in dark blue dress robes stood with two blonde haired girls dressed in white ball gowns.

The man turned to Appolline and pulled her into a kiss.

Once he was done he turned to Amelia.

"Lady Bones" said the Man in a kind voice before kissing her knuckles.

"Jacques, I told you many times to call me Amelia" said Amelia laughing slightly.

Jacques Delacour smiled.

"You need to tell me one more time then, as always" said Jacques.

He wrapped his arms around Susan as she went to hug him.

He let go of Susan and looked at Alex curiously.

"And who is this?" said Jacques.

Alex held his hand out.

"Alexander Black, an honour to meet you Minister" said Alex.

Jacques shook his hand and turned to Susan.

"So this young man is the one you have told me so much about" said Jacques.

"Yes, he's my betrothed" said Susan.

The oldest girl who was around 16 years of age with long silky blonde hair like Appolline walked over to him with a curious look on her face.

"So this is the boy you will be marrying Susie, a fine choice" said the Girl with a heavy French accent as she locked eyes with him.

Alex felt the familiar feeling in the back of his mind threatening to take over his senses but he pushed it back causing the girl to smile.

"A Veela, interesting" thought Alex.

"Alex, meet Fleur and Gabrielle Delacour" said Susan introducing him to Fleur and her younger 7 year old sister Gabrielle who sent a warm smile towards him.

Alex bowed his head to them.

"A pleasure to meet you two, it is clear you have both inherited your Mother's beauty" said Alex smiling warmly at them.

Fleur's cheeks went slightly pink while Gabrielle blushed.

Fleur turned to Susan.

"I like him, what a gentleman, he is a fine specimen" said Fleur.

Susan giggled as Alex blushed slightly.

The noise of a bell could be heard throughout the room.

This caused the guests to sit down in their designated seats at the tables.

Alex, Susan and Amelia followed the Delacour's around to their seats at the head table and sat down.

Alex and Susan sat next to Amelia who was sat next to Appolline. Appolline sat next to Jacques who was sat in the middle seat with Fleur and Gabrielle sat next to him.

Once everyone was sat down Jacques stood up and tapped his spoon on his wine glass getting everyone's attention.

He said something in French before sitting back down and pouring a glass of red wine for himself.

A variety of French dishes appeared on the table.

Alex looked at the dishes in wonder of what to try first.

He settled on some sort of stew.

Susan turned to him as she helped herself to the same thing.

"Its Bouillabiasse, shellfish stew, you'll like it" said Susan.

Alex tried some using his spoon.

"Its delicious" said Alex

"Told you" said Susan eating her own food.

Alex ate the Bouillabiasse before trying a variety of dishes including a beef and vegetable soup, a chicken rice dish and a French chocolate cake for dessert.

He and Susan had half a glass of wine each desperately trying to hide it from Amelia.

After they had eaten Jacques stood up.

He addressed the crowd in French causing them to stand up and move into another room.

Susan turned to him.

"They going to the ball room" said Susan.

Alex smiled and stood up.

He held his hand which she took before standing up.

The two walked around the table and leaving the room.

They followed the crowd along the corridor before arriving at a large ball room lit by several large chandeliers and lanterns.

As Alex and Susan entered the room slow music began to play.

Alex turned to Susan and brought her hand to his lips kissing her knuckles before the two settled into a slow dance.

The two danced with each other for the majority of the night with Alex dancing with both Fleur and Gabrielle while Susan also danced with Jacques before heading back to the cottage at the end of the night.

29th May 1993

Harry and Sirius walked into the main hall of Gringotts.

"Heir Potter to see account manager Nordog" said Harry.

The Goblin gestured to another goblin stood patiently near the back.

The Goblin walked over to him.

"Escort Heir Potter to account manager Nordog" said the Goblin.

The other Goblin walked around to the front of the desk and looked at Harry.

"Follow me Heir Potter" said the Goblin.

Harry looked at Sirius.

"Go on Harry, I have some business to take care of, I'll see you back here" said Sirius.

Harry nodded and followed the Goblin through the back down the corridor to Nordog's office.

Harry knocked on the door and waited for permission to enter.

Once he was inside he greeted Nordog and sat down opposite him.

"I wish to see an update on my investments please Nordog" said Harry.

"Of course" said Nordog.

Nordog pulled a piece of parchment out of one of his drawers and handed it to Harry.

"Investments are at an all time high at the moment, especially Quality Quidditch Supplies due to the release of the latest broom, the Firebolt" said Nordog.

Harry read through them and handed the parchment back to Nordog.

"Thank you, there are no further investments I wish to make at the moment, could you have someone escort me to the Peverell vault please?" said Harry.

"Of course" said Nordog.

He rang the bell on the desk summoning the Goblin back into the room.

"Escort Heir Potter to the Peverell vault number 200" said Nordog.

The Goblin nodded.

Harry stood up and placed his fist over his heart bowing his head to Nordog who repeated the gesture before following the Goblin out of the room.

The Goblin took Harry down to the Peverell vault on one of the carts.

Like most Family vaults in Gringotts it could only be opened by the Lord, Lady and Heir rings.

Harry pressed the Heir Peverell to the lock on the door.

A grinding noise could be heard as the door unlocked and then opened.

Harry walked inside.

The vault was neatly organised with stacks of Galleons, Sickles and Knuts located at the back of the vault while various books adorned the shelves. Other items including weapons were placed neatly on the other side of the vault to the books.

Harry took the inventory parchment off of the wall and read through it.

He searched through the bookshelves until he found the books he was looking for.

" _Antioch Peverell's Battle Magic"_

" _Isadora Peverell's Charms Mastery"_

" _Ignotus Peverell's Transfiguration Mastery"_

He placed the books in his book bag and exited the vault which closed behind him.

Making his way back into the main hall he saw Sirius waiting patiently for him.

The two left the bank together.

Once outside he called Kreacher to take his bag back to Grimmauld Place before he and Sirius walked to Fortescues for ice cream.

 **A/N: Due to how difficult it is to write the language that Fleur uses in the books I will be writing all of her dialogue normally. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	19. Chapter 19

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

6th July 1993

Harry, Joe, Katie and Tonks were stood at the back of a small queue outside Club Magic.

Club Magic was a new magical dance club that opened a few weeks ago for people aged 15+ in Diagon Alley. It was one of the old shops with the outside being redecorated with flashing multicoloured fairy jar lights and a name sign which glowed different colours constantly. Alex and the others had jokingly complained that they weren't old enough to go to the amusement of Harry.

They had picked this night especially as the owners had managed to get the Weird Sisters Band as entertainment for the night.

Harry and Joe were dressed in smart button up shirts and jeans while Katie was dressed in a red blouse, denim skirt and open black leather jacket. Tonks was dressed in a purple Weird Sisters shirt and jeans with her hair coloured bubblegum pink for the night.

"Where are they?" said Joe.

Katie looked down the street behind her and waved as Fred, George, Lee, Angelina and Alicia walked over to them dressed in their nicest clothes.

They greeted them and said a late Happy Birthday to Harry before standing behind them in the queue.

"Were just waiting on Cho now, I think Marietta's coming with her as well" said Harry.

"Speak of the devil" said Fred.

"And they shall appear" said George.

Cho and Marietta waved to them and walked over to stand behind them in the queue. Like the others they were dressed in fancy blouses and skirts.

Like the others they wished Harry a late Happy Birthday before the queue started moving forward.

The male bouncer at the door cast a quick age spell on each of them before allowing them through the door. Once they were inside Dora walked up to a Witch sat at the reception desk.

"We have a private booth booked for tonight, under the name Tonks" said Dora.

The witch checked a piece of parchment on her desk and nodded.

She signalled to another bouncer who was stood next to her.

"Take Miss Tonks and her friends to booth two" said the Witch.

The male Bouncer nodded and led them through the club towards some booth's on the left side of the club near the stage.

The club had an enormous dance floor filled with witches and wizards of varying ages. There was a large bar at the opposite end of the club to the booth's with three witches serving drinks to the customers.

Once they were sat down in their booth a young wizard in his early twenties dressed in posh black dress robes walked over to their table.

"Welcome to Club Magic, what drinks will you have?" said the Wizard in a slightly flirty voice while looking at Dora.

"11 bottles of butterbeer, two bottles of champagne and 11 shots of firewhiskey" said Tonks.

The Wizard looked at the others as if to refuse to serve them firewhiskey and champagne before Dora got his attention.

"Please, It's my cousins birthday, I'm sure you can give us some firewhiskey and champagne, just for tonight" said Dora batting her eyelashes at him and flashing him a flirty smile.

Harry slid a few galleons across the table towards him.

The Wizard smiled cheekily at her and pocketed the galleons.

"Well I shouldn't, but I guess I can make an exception for tonight" said the Wizard.

Dora smiled.

"Thank you" said Dora winking at him.

The Wizard walked away from their table.

Dora turned to the others who were struggling to contain their laughter.

"It worked didn't it?" said Dora.

They started laughing.

"I didn't expect that from you Nymphie, even if I did bribe him" said Harry.

Dora scowled.

"Leave your pretty cousin alone Harry" said George grinning.

"She did just hook us up with firewhiskey" said Fred grinning.

"Even if she had to" said George.

"Flirt with our waiter to get it" said Fred.

Dora smirked at them.

"Boys" muttered Alicia.

George turned to Alicia and winked at her.

"Lis, would you prefer if I teased you instead with my undeniable charm" said George.

Alicia smirked and lightly punched him on the arm.

The Wizard returned moments later with a tray of butterbeer bottles and shot glasses of golden brown firewhiskey.

Tonks used her wand to levitate shots of firewhiskey to each of them.

Katie looked at Fred, George and Lee and smirked.

"Go easy on this stuff you three, we know what happened last time you had this stuff" said Katie.

"You wound us Miss Bell, it wasn't as bad as that" said Lee.

Harry, Joe, Katie, Angelina and Alicia started laughing.

"It was Jordan, you three and Wood didn't get out of bed until the afternoon, thank Merlin Mcgonagall never found out" said Angelina.

"Its a shame Wood couldn't be here tonight, we would have seen if his tolerance to firewhiskey had improved" said Joe.

"Which it probably hasn't, especially if he had as much this time as he had last time" said Alicia.

"How much did he have last time?" said Marietta.

"He drank nearly half of the only bottle that we got" said Fred.

Cho laughed while Marietta looked shocked before laughing slightly.

Dora lifted her firewhiskey up to her face.

"To Harry, happy birthday" said Dora.

The others raised their firewhiskey glasses.

"To Harry" said the others.

They drank their firewhiskey embracing the warm feeling that it left in their chests.

"Thanks Nymphie, and thanks a lot guys for being here tonight" said Harry.

They kept talking while drinking their butterbeer while Dora poured them a glass of champagne each.

Once they were finished with their drinks the Wizard came back to their table so they could order a fresh round of drinks.

When they were on their second round of drinks the crowd cheered as the Weird Sisters appeared on the stage.

The group stood up and made their way onto the dance floor as the Weird Sisters started playing their first song.

They stayed in Club Magic until well after midnight before Dora took all of them back to her new cottage in Kent via her personal portkey since they were too exhausted to floo home directly from Club Magic.

Once they got back they settled down on the furniture and in the two spare bedrooms and quickly went to sleep.

To the amusement of the others in the morning the Twins decided to prank Dora by using magic to fasten her covers to her bed preventing her from getting out of bed to her fury.

Once she managed to get out of bed she made them all breakfast before sneakily spiking the Twins pumpkin juice with a mild fire breathing potion burning their mouths as they shot out little bursts of fire every time they tried to speak.

Once the potions wore off Harry leaned towards them as they were coughing slightly due to the after effects of the potion.

"That's what happens when you prank my cousin, she bites back twice as hard" said Harry laughing.

Dora let the others use the Floo Network to go back to go back home before she went to Grimmauld Place with Harry, Joe and Katie.

31st August 1993

Alex, Susan and Dorcas walked along the platform pushing their trolleys along with Sirius, Amelia and Marlene. Harry had already left them to go and find Joe and Katie.

Sirius and Marlene loaded Dorcas's trunk and dark grey owl onto the train before turning to her.

Sirius leaned down and wrapped her tightly in a hug.

"I can't believe your finally going to attend Hogwarts, work hard and have fun" said Sirius.

"I will Daddy, I'll write to you in a few days" said Dorcas giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Sirius smiled and let go of her so Marlene could give her a hug.

"Be safe, and I know you'll make lots of new friends, I'll miss you" said Marlene.

"I will Mummy" said Dorcas.

Marlene let go of her and ruffled her hair affectionately.

Alex and Susan said goodbye to the others before boarding the train with Dorcas.

They dragged their trunks and pets along the train before spotting Luna sat on her own in a compartment reading The Quibbler.

Alex knocked on the door and opened it causing Luna to look up from her magazine smiling when she saw Alex.

"Hey Luna, do you mind if we join you?" said Susan.

"Not at all" said Luna.

The three walked inside and placed their trunks on the overhead rack before sitting down.

They told Luna about their summer while Luna told them of how she and her Father went searching for magical creatures in Asia.

Meanwhile Harry, Joe and Katie were dragging their trunks along the corridor looking for an empty compartment but they could not find one.

They came across a compartment that contained a sleeping man wrapped in his robe with his face pressed against a small cushion on the compartment wall.

"Come on, we'll just go in here, it saves looking for an empty compartment" said Joe.

Harry opened the door and the three walked inside.

They loaded their trunks into the overhead rack and sat down on the seats opposite the sleeping man who stirred slightly but did not awaken.

The train departed about ten minutes later with Sirius and Marlene waving at them as their compartment went past.

Over an hour into their journey the Trolley Lady arrived at their compartment.

While Joe and Katie bought some sweets from her Harry gently shook the man trying to wake him.

The man did not react.

Harry gave up and walked over to the Trolley Lady as Joe and Katie sat down.

"Some Jelly Slugs, Bertie Botts Beans and a couple of Chocolate Frogs please" said Harry.

The Trolley Lady handed him his sweets and took his money before looking at the sleeping man.

"What about him, does he want anything for when he wakes up?" said the Lady.

Harry looked at the man and then back at her.

"Could you give him some Pumpkin Pasties and Chocolate Frogs, just in case he wakes up" said Harry.

"Of course dear" said the Lady.

Harry handed her some money and took the sweets from her.

He placed them next to the sleeping man and sat back down.

As they were eating their food there was a knock at the door.

Joe opened the door to reveal Cho stood in the doorway dressed in a sky blue hoodie and jeans.

"Hey guys, do you want to join me and Marietta in our compartment?" said Cho.

The three looked at each other and nodded.

"Okay" said Katie.

The three picked up their animals and trunks before following Cho along the corridor to a compartment four doors down from their previous compartment.

They entered the carriage to see Marietta sat reading a copy of the Witch Weekly magazine.

They placed their trunks in the overhead compartment and sat down.

They caught up with each other on how their respective summers went.

Meanwhile Alex was showing Susan, Dorcas and Luna one of the Black spell books that Sirius had given him from their Family Vault.

"Wow, your Family certainly knew their spells, look at some of them" said Susan.

"Advanced shield charms, lightening generation curse, these are amazing" said Dorcas.

"They are, imagine what some will do to get their hands on these spells, I wouldn't be surprised if some people would kill for them" said Alex.

Suddenly the carriage door burst open.

They turned to see Draco pointing his wand at them with a hateful look on his face. Crabbe and Goyle were stood next to him with their wands out.

"Hand it over" snarled Draco.

Alex quickly pulled out his wand and pointed it at him.

"Draco, don't do this, attacking me will land you in a lot of trouble with my Father, who is Lord Black if you had forgotten" said Alex as Susan, Luna and Dorcas drew their wands.

Draco spat on the floor.

"That book should be mine, my Father tried to get those books from Gringotts but those pathetic goblins refused to let him into the Black vault" snarled Draco.

"Your Father is not a Black Draco, and you are only a Black through your Mother, and I really doubt she would appreciate you attacking the Black Heir" said Dorcas.

"My Mother would not retrieve the books for us, she forced him to give up trying to get those books, but I will not give up as easily as he did" said Draco.

"I'll give you one last chance to bugger off Malfoy, or you will be arriving at Hogwarts with the after effects of a curse I choose to inflict on your body" said Alex.

"He's lying Draco" said Goyle.

"Yeah, do it Draco" said Crabbe.

Draco pointed his wand towards Susan.

"Stupefy" said Draco.

"Protego" said Susan.

Susan's shield spell deflected Malfoy's stunner back into his chest knocking him to the ground.

Alex and Luna quickly cast stunners and petrification spells on Crabbe and Goyle respectively defeating them.

Alex stood up and walked over to Draco who was lying on the floor stirring slightly.

His eyes widened when he saw Alex's wand pointed directly at his face.

"You were warned, and you were foolish to ignore that, your Father will hear about your attack on me in a few days, I imagine he won't be pleased with the trouble you caused" said Alex.

Draco went slightly pale.

"I'm sorry Heir Black, please let me go, please" said Draco in a panicked voice.

Alex rolled his eyes.

"After all your big talk, all your threats, you are nothing but a coward, you are a disgrace to the name of Black, Volatis Lutum" said Alex.

A small white spell shot out of his wand and hit Draco's nose.

Draco suddenly sneezed and a small black bat squeezed itself out of his nose.

Alex smirked and shut the door.

"Bat Bogey Hex, ingenious" said Susan.

"I know" said Alex.

"I'd love to be a fly on the wall when Lucius Malfoy finds out how much trouble his Son is in" said Dorcas.

"How much trouble will he get into?" said Luna.

"A lot, Dad will rip into Lucius Malfoy, he absolutely hates him" said Alex.

The group kept talking and joking what Sirius could make Lucius Malfoy do as retribution as the train continued on towards Hogwarts.

 _Later that evening…_

Harry, Joe and Katie made their way over to the Gryffindor table and sat down.

Harry looked up towards the staff table and spotted the man from the train who he assumed was their new DADA Professor. He was around 36 years of age with short brown hair dressed in common brown wizard robes. He looked at him for a few moments before the man sent him a small smile.

Joe and Katie looked at him.

"Are you alright Harry?" said Katie.

Harry turned to her.

"Yeah I'm okay" said Harry.

"What is it?" said Joe.

Harry turned to look at the man again who was engaged in a conversation with Professor Sinastra.

"The man sat on the right end of the staff table, the one from the train who's sitting next to Sinastra" said Harry.

Joe and Katie looked at the man before turning back to him.

"Probably the new DADA teacher, what about him?" said Joe.

"I know him from somewhere, but I can't remember where from" said Harry.

"Are you sure?" said Katie.

"I've never seen him before" said Joe.

Harry turned back to them.

"I know I've seen him before, maybe when Dumbledore introduces him I'll remember him" said Harry.

They continued talking as Professor Mcgonagall walked down from the staff table towards the doors.

Nearly ten minutes later she led the First Year students past the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables towards the front.

Harry spotted Dorcas talking to a long blonde haired girl before flashing him a smile as she walked past him.

Professor Mcgonagall gave her usual sorting speech before calling the names.

Harry focused on Dorea as she was called up to be sorted. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the new teacher watching her with a curious look in his eyes and a fond smile on his lips.

Professor Mcgonagall placed the hat on her head.

About ten seconds later the mouth of the hat opened.

"Ravenclaw" shouted the Hat.

The Ravenclaw table cheered along with Harry and the others.

Dorcas smiled and removed the hat before heading over to the Ravenclaw table and finding a seat next to Alex.

"Welcome little sister" said Alex giving her a quick one armed hug.

She smiled at him before the two turned back to watch the sorting.

A few minutes later Haywood, Penny the blonde haired girl who Dorcas was talking to followed her into Ravenclaw. She sat down next to Dorcas who congratulated her.

Dorcas introduced Penny to Alex before they watched the rest of the sorting ceremony.

The sorting concluded nearly 20 minutes later before Dumbledore stood up and made his way around the staff table to the podium.

"Attention, I would like to say a few words before we all dig into our illustrious feast" said Dumbledore.

The students turned to look at him.

"Firstly I wish to welcome two new teachers into our staff, over the summer our Care Of Magical Creatures Professor Kettleburn chose to retire in order to spend more time with his remaining limbs, happily I am delighted to announce that his place will be taken by none other, than our own, Rubeus Hagrid" said Dumbledore.

The teachers and most of the students applauded Hagrid as he stood up unfortunately knocking the staff table forward slightly to his embarrassment.

Professor Dumbledore waited for the noise to die down before continuing.

"Secondly we are pleased to welcome our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Remus Lupin, good luck Professor" said Dumbledore.

Harry looked shocked before clapping as Remus stood up bowing his head as applause broke out amongst the students and staff.

Joe and Katie noticed this.

"What is it Harry?" said Joe.

"I'll tell you in a bit" said Harry as Lupin sat back down.

Meanwhile at the Ravenclaw table Alex and Dorcas were going through the same thing.

"Is that really him?" said Dorcas.

"It must be, where has he been all this time?" said Alex.

Penny turned to Dorcas.

"What do you mean?" said Penny.

Dorcas looked at her.

"He's a friend of our parents, we haven't seen him in years" said Dorcas before Dumbledore called for quiet once again.

Penny turned back to face Dumbledore gave his usual speech about the list of banned magical items and the rules.

Once he was done the food appeared beginning the welcoming feast.

Harry turned to Joe and Katie who were looking at him quizzically as the three of them filled their plates and started eating.

Joe came to a realisation.

"Is that Moony, one of the people who made the Marauders Map, I thought he was friends with your parents and godparents" said Joe.

"He was, but we haven't seen him for years, Sirius told me he disappeared into the muggle world out of grief, no wonder I didn't recognise him at first, I've only ever seen pictures of him" said Harry.

"I wonder what brought him back, if he went into the muggle world how on earth did he end up back here teaching, and why didn't he go to see your Godparents first?" said Katie.

"I don't know, I can only guess Dumbledore must have tracked him down to give him the job" said Harry.

Joe and Katie looked at each other and then back at Harry.

"You know Harry, if you really want to know, you should go and ask him, I'm guessing Alex and Dorcas will be having similar thoughts about all of this" said Katie.

Harry thought for a few moments before nodding.

"I could talk to him after the feast" said Harry.

"We'll wait for you if you do" said Joe.

Harry nodded before he continued eating.

Once the feast was over Dumbledore dismissed all of the students.

Dorcas went up to the tower with the other first years as Alex started walking towards Remus seeing that Harry was already approaching the staff table.

As Harry approached the staff table Remus turned to look at him with a nervous look on his face.

As Harry neared the staff table Professor Mcgonagall stepped in front of him blocking Remus from his view.

"Where are you going Mr Potter?" said Mcgonagall sternly.

"I wish to speak to Professor Lupin" said Harry.

Mcgonagall looked at Harry curiously before offering a sad smile.

"I'm sorry Potter, but it will have to wait until tomorrow, please return to Gryffindor Tower" said Mcgonagall.

Harry nodded.

"Wait a moment Minerva" said Remus who walked over to stand next to her looking at Harry with a slightly sad look in his eyes.

Harry looked at him as Alex made his way over to them.

"I know you have a few questions for me, both of you will, come and see me in my office after tomorrow's lessons before dinner" said Remus.

Harry nodded.

"Okay Professor" said Alex.

Remus smiled.

"Okay, off you go, back to your dormitories" said Mcgonagall.

Harry and Alex walked away and said goodnight to each other.

Harry walked over to Joe and Katie.

"What happened?" said Joe.

"He wants me and Alex to go and see him tomorrow after lessons" said Harry.

Joe and Katie nodded before the three left the Great Hall.

Alex walked back into Ravenclaw Tower and headed up to his room.

He opened his trunk and took his two way mirror out before walking back down to the common room.

He spotted Dorcas sat with Penny on one of the settee's and walked over to her.

The two looked up at him as he approached.

"Could I speak to you for a moment Sis?" said Alex while mouthing "sorry" to Penny who looked at him curiously.

"I'll be back in a bit" said Dorcas.

Penny nodded.

Dorcas stood up and followed Alex over to one of the tables in the corner and the two sat down on the chairs.

Alex held the mirror in front of them.

"Padfoot" whispered Alex.

Sirius's and Marlene's faces appeared in the mirror moments later.

"Hey you two, well done Dorcas, getting sorted into Ravenclaw" said Marlene smiling.

"I knew you'd be a Claw" said Sirius smiling at her.

"Thanks" said Dorcas smiling at them.

"Mum, Dad, you won't believe who the new DADA teacher is" said Alex.

Sirius and Marlene looked at each other before looking back at him.

"Who?" said Marlene.

Alex took a deep breath.

"Its Remus" said Alex.

Sirius and Marlene looked slightly shocked.

"Remus… Remus Lupin is your new DADA teacher" said Sirius.

"Its true Daddy, it really is Uncle Remus" said Dorcas.

Marlene looked slightly shocked.

"Where has he been for the last 12 years, he disappears after the war only to show up again 12 years later, how?" said Marlene.

"Have you spoken to him yet?" said Sirius.

Alex shook his head.

"No, but he wants to see us and Harry tomorrow after lessons, he knows we have a lot of questions and he's most likely going to answer them for us" said Alex.

Sirius shook his head slightly.

"I hope he does, when you have some answers tell us, I'd like to know why he's never bothered to get back in contact with us" said Sirius in slight annoyance.

"Sirius, at least find out his reasons before judging him, he's your best friend remember" hissed Marlene.

Sirius nodded.

"Look, after you've spoken to him, invite him to come over for the Christmas holidays, tell him that we want to see him" said Sirius.

"We will" said Dorcas.

"Okay, well we'll let you get back to what you were doing, goodnight, love you both, and Dorcas, make plenty of new friends darling" said Marlene.

"I will Mummy, love you both" said Dorcas.

"Love you" said Alex.

Marlene and Sirius said goodbye to them before leaving the mirror.

Alex placed it back in his pocket before the two walked back over to Penny and starting a conversation with her.

1st September 1993

Harry, Alex and Dorcas walked towards the DADA classroom.

Taking a deep breath Harry knocked on the door.

Nearly a minute passed before footsteps could be heard walking towards the door. The door opened to reveal Remus dressed in his teaching robes stood looking at them before smiling.

"Come in" said Remus stepping aside.

They walked into the room before Remus closed the door behind them. He led them across the classroom and up the stairs into his office.

The office was small and fairly modest. There was a single desk with a chair facing them with a few photo's of Remus with a dark brown haired woman and a small light brown haired child whose age varied in different photos. A large open trunk stood up next to the door with various shirts and trousers hanging on a rack inside the trunk. There was a large glass fish tank on the windowsill with a sickly yellow creature with a balloon shaped head, black eyes, sharp teeth and tentacles where its legs should be to their right. An oak wood door could be seen to their left leading to what they presumed to be living quarters.

Remus saw them looking at the fish tank.

"Its a Grindylow, to show the third years next week" said Remus.

The three turned to face him.

Remus nodded and pulled out his wand.

He conjured a cheap leather settee for them to sit down on.

He walked around to sit at his desk as they sat down on the settee.

"Tea?" said Remus.

"Yes please" said Harry.

Alex nodded.

Dorcas smiled.

"Thank you" said Dorcas.

Remus smiled and clicked his fingers.

A female House Elf appeared.

"Tea for four please" said Remus.

"Yes sir" squeaked the House Elf.

The House Elf disapparated and returned a few momets later carrying a tray containing a white floral patterned teapot, a jug of milk and four floral pattern cups and plates.

He poured himself a cup of tea before looking at them.

"How do you take yours?" said Remus.

"Very milky" said Dorcas.

"Just a little bit of milk" said Alex.

"No milk" said Harry.

Remus looked at him in surprise.

"That was how your Father had his tea" said Remus with a smile on his face as he prepared their tea.

Harry smiled.

He gave them their tea and sat back down.

"Okay, I suppose your wondering where I've been for the last 12 years" said Remus.

They nodded.

Remus took a sip before putting his cup down.

He picked up a photo from his desk of himself, a dark brown haired woman and a small light brown haired child who was around five years old stood under a large oak tree in some sort of park.

"I lived in poverty in the Muggle world for two years, then I moved to Magical Germany where I met my wife and then our son" said Remus.

He handed the photo to Harry who showed it to Alex and Dorcas.

"I didn't know you were married" said Alex.

Remus smiled and nodded.

"Nine years in January, her name is Natalya, our son James is five" said Remus.

"How did you meet her?" said Dorcas standing up and handing the picture back to him.

Remus put the picture down and looked at them.

"Well it all started ten years ago" said Remus.

 **A/N: The OC Penny Haywood is not my creation – she is a character from the Android game Harry Potter A Hogwarts Mystery. A good game to play if you like Harry Potter.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

18th September 1983

A 25 year old Remus Lupin appeared in a large shiny dark brick room which his international portkey took him too.

Gone was the clean youthful young man and in his place was a ragged depressed figure who looked like he had aged 20 years in the last two years alone. He had a small rucksack with him containing all of belongings.

He walked towards a line of witches and wizards queuing up at an old wooden desk underneath a sign that said "International Incomings".

An elderly female wizard dressed in dark grey robes was sat at the desk with a self-writing quill writing on rolls of parchment before she handed them to the people in the queue.

Remus reached the front of the queue about 20 minutes later.

"Name and previous country of residence" said the Witch.

"Remus John Lupin, Magical Britain" said Remus plainly.

"Reasons for entering Magical Germany" said the Witch.

"Seeking potential work" said Remus.

"Any medical or magical conditions you need to notify us about" said the Witch.

Remus gulped slightly.

"Full Werewolf" said Remus nervously.

The witch paused for a few moments.

"There is no need to be nervous Mr Lupin, Werewolves receive better treatment in Magical Germany than they do in Magical Britain" said the Witch.

Remus nodded.

The quill finished writing on a piece of parchment.

She rolled it up and tied it with a small red ribbon before handing it to him.

"Your papers, present them to the person at the desk in the next room for your necessary work papers and accommodation arrangements" said the Witch.

Remus took the scroll from her and moved through a door into a smaller room where a smaller queue was lined up in front of three desks. He joined the queue and reached a desk a few minutes later.

"Papers" said the Wizard.

Remus handed him the parchment.

He unrolled it and quickly read through it.

He opened a drawer on his desk and pulled out a sheet of parchment. He silently cast some sort of spell on it with his wand before handing it back to him.

"Your work permit" said the Wizard.

Remus nodded as the Wizard wrote something down on a small piece of parchment and cast a spell on it.

"A halfway house for Werewolves, you can find accommodation here until you are able to find somewhere else to live" said the Wizard handing him the parchment before gesturing for the next person in the queue.

Remus stepped away from the desk and looked at the piece of parchment.

 _Moon House_

 _14 East Ridge Road_

 _Baden_

 _Tap your wand against this parchment to portkey to the address_

Remus sighed before drawing his wand and tapping the parchment.

He felt a jerk behind his naval before he appeared before a slightly large brick house with barred windows.

He walked inside where multiple Wizards and Witches were walking around the entrance room and a small lounge room containing chairs and settee's.

An elderly wizard was sat at a counter looking at him.

"Welcome to Moon House, Mr…?" said the Wizard.

"Lupin, Remus Lupin" said Remus.

""Welcome Mr Lupin, I am Klaus Lichsteiner, the owner of Moon House, my wife Nina will take you to your room, you will be given a key and are free to decorate it anyway you like, I hope you enjoy your stay here with us" said the Klaus.

"Thank you" said Remus.

An elderly Witch walked out of a room next to the counter and towards him.

"Follow me please" said Nina.

She led him up the stairs and along a corridor before reaching a room with an open door.

Remus walked inside the room.

It was simple and modest. There was a single bed and bedside table on one side of the room with a large cupboard on the other side of the room. There was another door in the room leading to a small bathroom.

He looked around for a few moments before turning back to Nina.

She explained the rules to him as well as the precautions they take for safe transformations on the full moon.

5th October 1983

Remus walked towards his next potential job after many failed interviews which had taken place over the last two weeks.

"Friendlier to Werewolves than Britain, not by much" thought Remus in annoyance.

The interviews had all been for small simple jobs. Though the employers had not initially cared about his condition they instead gave the jobs to Non-Werewolves for reasons they did not mention to him.

He came to a halt at a small Potions Shop called Talya's Brew's in the market district of Baden. Like the rest of the village the shop had a very old fashioned rustic appearance. The windows of the shop were decorated with various potion bottles of all kinds of colours as well as a help wanted sign. There was what appeared to be a flat above the shop.

He sighed.

"My last chance, well good luck to me I guess" muttered Remus walking towards the door.

He opened the door and walked inside which chimed a small bell above the door.

"I'll be with you in a minute" said a female voice with a Russian accent.

Remus looked around the shop with interest at all of potions on display.

"Hello, how can I help you" said the female voice.

Remus turned to the doorway at the back of the shop.

A young dark brown haired woman in her late twenties was stood in the doorway looking at him. She was dressed in a black dress with a dirty grey apron tied around her front.

Remus composed himself.

"Hello, I'm Remus Lupin, I'm looking for a job, I saw your help wanted sign" said Remus pointing to the sign in her window.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank Merlin, I've had that sign up for months but no one seems to want the job, I am Natalya, welcome to Talya's Brew's, please come through to the back and we can talk" said Natalya.

Remus smiled and followed her through to a small office at the back of the shop.

The two sat down on the wooden chairs in her office.

"Well I suppose we should start with me telling you what the job is" said Natalya.

Remus nodded.

"Well its nothing glamorous or even remotely interesting, I just need someone to help me around the shop, stacking shelves, moving things and so forth" said Natalya.

"That sounds alright to me, though I can see why the job is still available after a few months" said Remus smiling.

Natalya chuckled.

"Well, your the first person to tell me the job is alright, the job pays the standard minimum wage of 15 galleons an hour, the days can be long and maybe a bit boring but its the only thing I can offer you" said Natalya.

"Even so, a job is a job, I think I'd enjoy working here anyway" said Remus.

"Okay, could I see your work permit please?" said Natalya.

Remus suddenly went rather nervous.

"Here we go, another failed job" thought Remus.

Natalya looked at him with concern.

"Are you alright?" said Natalya.

Remus put his hand on his head calming himself down.

He took his work permit out of his pocket and handed it to her.

She read it for about a minute before looking at him.

"Well Mr Lupin, everything seems to be in order, when can you start?" said Natalya handing his work permit back to him.

Remus looked shocked for a few moments which did not go unnoticed by Natalya.

"I'm guessing you thought I might turn you away due to your condition?" said Natalya.

Remus spluttered.

"You mean, it doesn't bother you that I am a Werewolf, your still giving me the job" said Remus.

"Of course Remus, can I call you Remus, being a Werewolf won't stop you from getting a job here, it doesn't bother me in the slightest" said Natalya.

Remus managed a sad smile with slight tears in his eyes.

"Thank you" said Remus.

Natalya looked at him with a sad smile.

"You don't need to thank me Remus, but I appreciate it nonetheless, and allow me to be honest with you, I knew what you were the minute I saw you" said Natalya reaching her arm out and placing her hand on his arm.

Remus looked at her in shock.

"You knew, how?" said Remus in shock.

She gave him a sad smile before using her left hand to pull the right side of her dress down over her shoulder. There were five thin white scars running down her chest from the top of her shoulder.

"Your a Werewolf too?" said Remus in shock.

"Only partial, I was scratched by an untransformed Werewolf when I was 16, but I could sense the wolf in you from the moment I saw you, though I am surprised you could not do the same to me" said Natalya covering her shoulder back up.

"I guess that in my nervousness I didn't notice" said Remus.

"Well then, like I said, when would you like to start?" said Natalya.

"Could I start tomorrow, or is that too soon?" said Remus.

"Of course, you can start tomorrow at ten, I'll require you for a few hours each day at first, once your settled in you will only be required to work five days a week, the hours will get longer during the holidays though" said Natalya.

"I'll see you tomorrow at ten then, thank you" said Remus.

Natalya shook his hand and he turned to leave the shop.

"Remus wait" said Natalya.

Remus turned to face her.

"I've had a quiet day so far, and I doubt I'll get any more customers this late in the day, would you like to hang out here for a while?" said Natalya.

"You sure?" said Remus.

"Yes I'm sure, stay here for a while, if your going to be working with me it gives us a chance to get to know each other a little bit" said Natalya.

Remus smiled.

"I suppose I could stay for a while" said Remus.

The two got to know each other over the next few hours before Remus left. She told him vague details about growing up in Russia and her life in Magical Germany while he opened up about his life at Hogwarts and the Marauders.

24th December 1983

Remus groaned as he woke up face down on his bed in the afternoon. Last night had been a particularly nasty transformation which left him completely drained.

He turned over so he was laying on his back.

Suddenly he felt a soft hand on his chest.

He slowly opened his eyes to see Natalya looking down at him with sadness.

"How are you feeling?" said Natalya.

Remus groaned.

"Dreadful, last night was a horrible transformation, I've been asleep all morning" said Remus.

Natalya nodded.

"I can tell, but I'm glad your awake" said Natalya.

Remus managed a small smile.

Natalya opened her bag and pulled out a dark potion bottle.

"Here, its a mild energy potion, get your strength back" said Natalya.

Remus drank the potion and grimaced.

Slowly he felt the tiredness and pain leave his body only to be replaced with a pleasant feeling.

"Thanks" said Remus.

Natalya smiled at him before reaching into her bag and pulling a small bag of assorted fruits out and handing them to him.

"I would get you some meat but I didn't have any spare" said Natalya.

"Its okay, thank you" said Remus.

Remus sat up on the bed taking the bag from her and began to eat one of the apples from the bag. He pulled another apple out and handed it to her.

She took it and bit into it.

After they had finished the food Natalya reached into her pocket and pulled something out keeping it encased in her fist.

"Hold out your hand" said Natalya.

Remus looked slightly confused but held his right hand out.

She placed a key in his hand.

"Natalya, what?" said Remus.

"A key to my flat, your going to need it starting from now" said Natalya.

Remus looked at the key and then back at Natalya.

"Are you sure, what about?" said Remus.

"Your transformations, its all sorted, I've made a special room for you to use" said Natalya.

"I-, I don't know what to say?" said Remus.

"Say yes, I'm offering you a place to live, you'd be better off with me than being here, so will you come and live with me?" said Natalya.

Remus thought for a few moments before nodding.

"I'd like that, thank you" said Remus.

Natalya smiled before wrapping her arms around him.

Remus was shocked for a moment before returning her hug.

"Come on, pack your things, then we can go home" said Natalya releasing Remus from her hug.

Remus smiled and the two packed all of his belongings into some bags before leaving the room.

He said goodbye to the Lichsteiner's before the two left for their new home.

25th December 1983

Remus awoke in a happier mood than he had been in all week.

"Merry Christmas" said Natalya who was stood in the doorway in her dressing gown.

Remus slowly sat up on his bed.

"Merry Christmas, thank Merlin that I woke up in this bed, at least me moving in yesterday wasn't a dream" said Remus.

"I'm glad its not a dream too, come on, lets go down and have some breakfast, then we can open our presents" said Natalya who was stood in the doorway.

Remus smiled.

"This is the happiest I've been in years, thanks to you" said Remus thinking out loud.

"I didn't expect to hear that, but thanks Remus" said Natalya smiling.

Remus looked a little shocked before managing a shy smile.

"Thinking out loud, don't worry about it, I'm glad your happy, someone as kind as you deserves to be happy" said Natalya.

Remus stood up and walked over to her wrapping her in a hug.

Natalya returned the hug before pulling away from him.

"Come on, I'm making breakfast" said Natalya.

The two walked into the kitchen for their breakfast.

 _2 hours later…_

Remus was sat on the settee dressed in an old Christmas jumper and jeans.

"Happy Christmas Remus" said Natalya dressed in a Christmas jumper and battered jeans handing him a small book shaped present.

Remus took the present.

"Thank you Talya, and Happy Christmas" said Remus tearing the wrapping paper off to reveal a small brown leather padded book.

Remus opened the book to see one of the pictures he had brought with him on the first page.

The picture was himself, James, Sirius and Peter all aged 13 sat on one of the benches in the Hogwarts Courtyard dressed in their school robes. The occupants of the photo were smiling and waving at the camera.

Remus looked at her in shock.

"I found the pictures in your room by accident last week, I could tell how much you treasure them so I had them made into a photo album for you" said Natalya.

Remus had traces of tears in his eyes.

"You have no idea how much this means to me, thank you" said Remus.

He turned through the pages looking at each of the photo's remembering the good times of his youth.

He froze up slightly when he laid eyes on a particular photo.

It was himself and Dorcas Meadowes at James and Lily's wedding. The two were stood outside the church with huge smiles on their faces with their hands entwined.

"Dorcas" whispered Remus sadly tracing a finger over her face.

He felt Natalya place her hand on his arm.

"You miss her" said Natalya.

Remus nodded slightly.

"It just brought back a few memories, I proposed to her that same day, and she was dead 4 months later" said Remus wiping the tears from his eyes.

Natalya wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise these pictures might bring back bad memories" said Natalya sadly.

Remus took hold of her hand and squeezed it.

"Its okay, don't apologise, you didn't know, and I love your present" said Remus closing the book.

Natalya nodded.

"I think its time I give you your present" said Remus detaching himself from her and standing up.

He walked over to the small Christmas tree and pulled a box shaped present out from underneath it.

He walked back to her and handed her the present.

"Happy Christmas, I hope you like it" said Remus.

She smiled and unwrapped the present before opening the box.

She smiled once she saw what was inside.

A black leather handbag with her name inscribed in gold letters on the front.

"This is the bag I was looking at with you last week isn't it" said Natalya picking up the bag and looking at it.

"Yeah, I knew you'd like it, given how much time you spent looking at it" said Remus.

She placed the bag on the settee next to her and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you so much" said Natalya.

Remus smiled and returned the hug.

"Your welcome" said Remus.

The two enjoyed the rest of their Christmas day both of them laughing at Remus's slightly overcooked turkey and getting drunk on some German wine that night.

 _4 months later…_

Remus dropped into his bed exhausted after a busy day in the shop. Before he knew it his eyes closed and he fell asleep.

He suddenly found himself back in the familiar Gryffindor Common Room. The only difference being that it was completely deserted.

"Why am I here?" said Remus.

"Your here so you can move on with your life" said an all too familiar female voice from behind him.

Remus turned around and gasped in shock before tears began to form in his eyes.

A 21 year old woman with long black hair dressed in a dark blue witches dress was stood facing him with a sad smile on her face.

"Dorcas" choked Remus.

"Hi Remus" said Dorcas.

Remus walked forward to wrap her in a hug but his arms went straight through her chest.

"You can't keep wallowing in your grief Remus, you have to move on" said Dorcas sadly.

Remus stepped away from her and turned his head to look at the wall.

"I can't, I love you, you didn't deserve to die" said Remus.

"None of us did Remus, myself, James, Lily, Mary, your Parents, but sometimes, things happen that are beyond our control" said Dorcas.

"But it wasn't fair, I loved you more than anything and you were ripped away from me" said Remus.

"And I loved you, and I always will, maybe in another lifetime we would have had a long life together but you need to let go, its been 5 years Remus, I know how you feel about Natalya" said Dorcas.

Remus looked slightly shocked before choking back a sob.

"I love her, the only other woman I felt that way about was you" said Remus.

"Then you need to tell her, if you don't then you'll never know what could have been" said Dorcas stepping towards him.

"But I'm afraid, that if I tell her then I might forget about you, forget about what we had" said Remus.

"Remus you could never forget me, your too kind a person to forget about those you care about, and remember I will always be in here" said Dorcas placing her hand over his heart.

Remus looked at her nodding as the tears slid down his face.

"You have to go now Remus, remember what I said, tell Natalya what you need to tell her" said Dorcas.

"Wait" said Remus.

"Go Remus, live your life, I will always love you, but I want you to move on from me" said Dorcas before she slowly faded away.

Remus woke up suddenly.

"Did that really just happen?" said Remus.

"Tell her" said the voice of Dorcas in his head.

Remus got up from his bed and walked towards Natalya's room which was still dark.

He quickly glanced through the door to see that she was still asleep before heading to the kitchen.

He made a bacon sandwich and poured some orange juice into a glass placing her breakfast onto a small tray.

He picked up the tray and headed to Natalya's room.

He knocked on the door.

"Come in" said Natalya.

Remus pushed the door open and walked into the now candlelit room.

"Well this is a surprise, breakfast in bed, what's the occasion?" said Natalya as Remus sat down on the bed and handed the tray to her.

"No occasion, I just wanted to make you breakfast" said Remus.

Natalya smiled.

"And why is that?" said Natalya.

Remus looked down at his lap slightly nervous.

"Here goes nothing" thought Remus.

"Because you've made my life so much better since you entered it, I was considering leaving this country before you gave me a job, and for the last few months I've been frightened to tell you how I really feel about you" said Remus.

She placed her hand on his chin tilting his head up so their eyes met.

She leaned forward and kissed him to his surprise before he returned the kiss.

"Me too, I've been waiting months for this" said Natalya smiling at him.

"I wish it hadn't taken me months now" said Remus smiling.

"I knew you'd tell me when you were ready, and to bring me breakfast at the same time, how wonderful" said Natalya kissing him.

The two deepened the kiss intensifying it with passion before breaking away.

"God I love you" said Remus.

Natalya smirked.

"I love you too" said Natalya.

"Well, now that that's done, I hope your not going to waste your breakfast, it required a fair bit of effort on my part, more effort than my Christmas turkey at least" said Remus jokingly.

Natalya chuckled before picking up her bacon sandwich and taking a bite.

After she had finished her breakfast Remus placed the tray on her bedside table before she grasped his hand tightly.

"Remus, I love you, but there's something I never told you, and if we're going to be together then you need to know" said Natalya looking at her lap.

"What is it?" said Remus sounding concerned.

Natalya sighed.

"I never told you the full story of why I left Russia, I never told anyone" said Natalya.

"Natalya, you don't have to tell me if you don't want too" said Remus.

"No I do, its just, its not easy, there's a reason why I never told you about my family" said Natalya.

Remus squeezed her hand for support.

"In my family, I was the middle child, I had an older Brother and much younger twin Sister's, my full name is Natalya Ivanova Petrovic, my family is the oldest and wealthiest Magical family in Russia" said Natalya looking at him.

Remus nodded for her to continue.

"My parents are very old fashioned in their beliefs, and real pureblood supremacist's, they focused all their attention onto my older brother, their precious heir, while myself and my Sister's were pushed to the side, they still looked after us and loved us, but we never received the same level of attention that my Brother did" said Natalya.

Remus placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"As well as being pureblood supremacist's, they also hated any person who was not in their eyes a normal witch or wizard, so when I told them that I was infected by an untransformed Werewolf, they were livid, not because I was bitten, but because I was not a normal witch to them, I was nothing but a disgrace in their eyes" said Natalya with tears in her eyes.

Remus gasped as tears formed in his eyes.

"They didn't want the public to know that their daughter was a partial Werewolf, my Brother was the same, he told me he was ashamed that his Sister was a Werewolf, said it would ruin his career, my Sister's were too young to understand, one night I overheard my parents talking about keeping me confined to the Manor, where the rest of the world could not see me, I cried myself to sleep that night" said Natalya.

Remus wrapped her in his arms.

She rested her head on his shoulder sobbing slightly.

"The next night I packed my bags, took my vault key, left a letter for my Sister's and ran away, I collected my inheritance from my vault and left never looking back" said Natalya.

Tears from Remus dropped down onto her back.

"I came here when I found out that Werewolves were treated like regular people, I paid for a small flat during the summer while I finished my schooling at Durmstrang, the Highmaster at the time was kind enough to help me look after myself even though he didn't know the full story, I haven't seen any of my family since, not even my little sisters who probably hate me right now" said Natalya.

"Do you want to see them again, to see your family?" said Remus.

Natalya wiped the tears from her eyes.

"No, I don't want to have anything to do with them, as much as I miss my sisters, and I miss them everyday, going back there will only do more bad than good" said Natalya.

Remus removed her from his chest and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Natalya, if your family chose to do that then they are fools, you are a beautiful amazing woman, and if you think I might change my mind about us after hearing this, then you have nothing to fear, I love you, poor, rich, sick, healthy, it doesn't make a difference, nothing will change the way I feel about you" said Remus.

Natalya choked back a sob before embracing him and furiously kissing him.

"What did I do to deserve a great man like you, never leave me" said Natalya.

"I won't, I promise" said Remus.

The two stayed in bed holding each other for an hour before going downstairs to open the shop.

8th August 1984

Remus was slowly stacking potions on the shelves in the shop. Tonight was the full moon and it was showing. His face was slightly pale and he looked like he hadn't slept in days.

"Remus, could you come here for a moment?" said Natalya from the back of the shop.

Remus placed the box of potions on a nearby table before walking through to the back of the shop where Natalya brewed her potions.

She was stood over a large cauldron with a small goblet in her hands.

The potion sizzled and was emitting a light steamy vapour.

She scooped some up some of the potion in the goblet and held it out to him.

"Try this" said Natalya.

"What is it?" said Remus sceptically.

"A breakthrough hopefully, its a potion designed for Werewolves, if I'm right this potion will remove some of your Werewolf tendencies during your transformation, it won't stop you from transforming, but it should make you less dangerous, more like a harmless wolf" said Natalya.

Remus gasped in happiness.

"Really" said Remus taking the goblet from her.

"Yes, if it works, life could be changed forever for Werewolves" said Natalya.

"Well, here's hoping" said Remus drinking the potion.

He grimaced at the foul taste of the potion before putting the goblet down.

"Nasty taste?" said Natalya in amusement.

"You want to try it?" said Remus jokingly.

"I'll pass thanks" said Natalya laughing slightly.

"Well, we'll find out tonight if it works or not" said Remus.

"Yeah we will, and before you ask, yes I will be safe when we're testing this" said Natalya casting a stasis charm on the cauldron.

 _Later that night..._

Natalya stood in her room shaking with tears falling down her face as she heard Remus screaming as he went through the painful transformation.

After a few minutes the noise died down until only soft whimpering could be heard.

She left her room and walked towards Remus's transformation room opening the door slowly.

She looked inside to see a large grey slightly hairless Werewolf lying on the floor.

"Remus" said Natalya.

Remus lifted his head up to look at her for a few moments before resting his head on the floor again.

She entered the room and dropped to her knees beside his back. She slowly traced her hand over his back causing him to move around slightly but he did not attempt to attack her.

She smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"It worked Remus, we're going to change the world" said Natalya stroking his ears.

She stayed with him for a good two hours before leaving the room and closing the door.

She went to sleep with a smile on her face.

9th August 1984

She opened the door to the room and shook the now human Remus awake.

"Remus, it worked" said Natalya.

Remus slowly sat up looking at her.

"It did?" said Remus.

"Yes, I stayed with you for two hours and you didn't attack me once, I even touched you and you did nothing" said Natalya with a sad smile.

Remus wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

"Your a genius Talya, you did it, your potion will change the world" said Remus.

"I couldn't have done it without you, and I think I've got a name for it" said Natalya.

"What are you going to call it?" said Remus.

"Wolfsbane, since it renders a Werewolf completely harmless" said Natalya.

"Wolfsbane potion, and I think I know who we can give it too first" said Remus.

"Who?" said Natalya.

"Do you fancy a walk to my old home?" said Remus.

Natalya smiled.

"Of course, lead the way" said Natalya taking his arm.

The two left the shop and walked to Moon House where they spoke to Klaus and the guests telling them of their new potion agreeing to provide it to them for cheap.

The two went out to dinner later that night to a local restaurant.

After they had finished their dinner Remus took a deep breath and took her hands in his.

"Natalya, I have to thank you" said Remus.

"Whatever for?" said Natalya locking eyes with him.

"For everything, you made my life so much better since you entered it, I keep telling myself it can't get any better than this, but it can" said Remus.

"You did the same for me Remus, I had no one before I met you, I only had the haunted memories of my past, and it will get better, the both of us will make it so" said Natalya.

Remus reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box making sure she couldn't see it.

"We will, together, and I know one way to make it better" said Remus.

He stood up and faced her before dropping to one knee in front of her.

Natalya gasped as he took her hand.

"I know we have only been together for 4 months, and that we have only known each other for just under a year, but there's no one else I'd want to spend my life with, Natalya Ivanova Petrovic, will you marry me?" said Remus opening the small box to reveal a ring with a small diamond.

Natalya gasped and smiled.

"Yes" whispered Natalya.

Remus slipped the ring onto her finger before she grabbed his shirt and pulled him up to her snogging him furiously.

Most of the other patrons and staff in the restaurant saw them and clapped and cheered.

The Wolfsbane potion became a huge success with them selling to countries all over Europe including France, Romania and Russia. As Remus predicted the news of the Wolfsbane potion did not reach Britain as the British Ministry did not want to give any aid to the Werewolf community. Natalya received international recognition and honours for her work while she made sure Remus got some credit as well.

10th January 1985

Remus and Natalya were married in a small church in Baden with only a few friends attending including the now widowed Klaus Lichsteiner along with a few other staff members from Moon House.

They spent some of their combined money to travel around the world for a 3 month honeymoon visiting North and South America then Asia before returning home.

15th July 1987

Remus was rather nervous. Natalya was four months pregnant and he was worried about passing on his Lycanthropy to his child.

Natalya was sat with him on the settee and noticed his expression.

"Your worried that our child will be a Werewolf, aren't you?" said Natalya.

"How did you know?" said Remus.

"I can read you like a book honey, but you don't need to worry, remember Lycanthropy is not genetic, you can't pass it down to your children, not unless you were transformed at the time, which you were not" said Natalya.

Remus eased up a bit.

"Hey, don't worry, you'll make a great father as well, another five months and we'll be parents" said Natalya.

Remus smiled and pulled her towards him causing her to rest her head on his chest.

18th December 1987

Remus sat on a hospital bed with Natalya as she cradled their newborn son.

"James" said Natalya.

"Huh" said Remus.

"James Remus Lupin" said Natalya.

"James Remus?" said Remus.

"Yes, James after your best friend, and Remus after you, what do you think?" said Natalya smiling.

Remus gently took James from her.

"James Remus Lupin" said Remus smiling.

"And just for the record, we are not having another, going through this once is enough" said Natalya jokingly.

Remus laughed and pecked her on the lips as the two cuddled with their son.

8th June 1993

Remus, Natalya and the now 5 year old James were sat at the table of their two story cottage eating their breakfast.

James was the spitting image of Remus with the same light brown hair but with Natalya's grey eyes.

A brown post owl carrying a white envelope flew through the open window and landed at the table.

"Owl" said James quickly reaching out to pet it but Natalya held his hand back.

Remus took the envelope from the owl as Natalya slowly guided James hand towards the owl so he could stroke its back.

After James stroked it a few times the owl flew back out of the window as Remus stared at the letter in shock.

"What is it daddy?" said James innocently.

"Daddy was surprised by this letter that's all Pup" said Remus reaching out and ruffling James hair.

"Who's it from Remus?" said Natalya.

"Hogwarts" said Remus.

Natalya gasped and turned to James.

"Honey, since you've finished your breakfast, how about you go and play with your toys?" said Natalya.

"Okay Mommy" said James.

He got down from his seat and walked out of the room.

Once he was gone Remus opened the letter and read it.

 _Dear Remus_

 _It was a great delight that I finally tracked you down. I hope life is going well for you._

 _I am writing to offer you the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts starting on September 1st. I know you might be worried about working as a teacher since you are a Werewolf but I assure you there will be specific measures in place to guarantee the safety of the students during your transformations, Professor Snape has also agreed to brew this new Wolfsbane potion for you while you are teaching._

 _If you would like the job send the reply to me at Hogwarts along with your book list for the students. You will need to be at the castle by the evening of the 1st September as well._

 _Yours sincerely_

 _Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

 _Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Remus showed her the letter. She read it and looked at him.

"If you want to take the job, I will support you" said Natalya.

Remus looked at her.

"You will" said Remus.

"Yes, in fact I think you should take it, you haven't seen your friends children since they were born, they will be attending Hogwarts by now, not too mention you haven't seen your friend Sirius for years" said Natalya.

"But what about you and James?" said Remus.

"Remus, don't worry about us, take the job, we'll be able to come and see you on the weekends when we can, I can always hire some part time workers to cover your shifts here, go and teach those kids, go and see your old friends again" said Natalya.

"Your sure" said Remus.

"Yes, I know you never went back to Britain because you are completely devoted to your life here, but take my advice and go, you might regret it if you don't" said Natalya placing her hand on his shoulder.

Remus thought for a few moments before nodding.


	21. Chapter 21

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

1st September 1993

Harry, Alex and Dorcas looked at Remus in slight shock as he finished his story.

"Well, that's my life story for you" said Remus.

"You named your son after my Dad" said Harry.

"Yeah, your Father was my best friend, he even gave me one of his family cottages after we left school, I didn't want to take it at first but he insisted, he was one of the best friends a man could ask for, same with Sirius" said Remus.

Harry smiled.

"I didn't know your wife was the one who invented the Wolfsbane potion" said Alex.

"Well we weren't married at that point so she was credited in her maiden name, Petrovic, but you wouldn't have heard about it anyway, the news never reached Magical Britain, I'm guessing the British Ministry prevented it" said Remus.

Harry nodded.

"There were rumours going around about the Wolfsbane potion earlier this year, but we knew that the British Ministry would never give it to Werewolves in this country, keep them at the bottom of the food chain so to speak, keep them in poverty" said Harry.

Dorcas placed her cup on the desk.

"I'm guessing she'll be brewing this Wolfsbane potion for you while your here" said Dorcas.

"Yes, she gave me enough for two months, she'll be bringing me some more when she comes here" said Remus.

"She's coming here soon" said Alex.

"Yeah, she's bringing James down in two weeks for the weekend, she wants to meet you guys, and I'll be taking them to Hogsmeade" said Remus.

"I'm sure James will love that, just keep him away from Zonko's, wait what am I saying take him there, I know a practical joker who wants a protege" said Dorcas.

Remus smiled at her.

"And who might that be young lady?" said Remus jokingly.

Dorcas looked at Harry and smirked.

"Harry, he's taken up the title of New Marauders, along with a few others" said Dorcas.

Remus smirked and looked at Harry.

"Well I can't say I wasn't expecting that, after all the pranks we pulled in our youth, its only natural that you were going to resume the Marauders work, raised by the genius behind our pranks" said Remus.

"Well, we're working hard to live up to the reputation of the Marauders, we've caused quite a bit of mischief to this school already" said Harry mischievously.

"Oh I'm sure you have, you'll have to tell me about some of them" said Remus.

Harry spent the next twenty minutes telling Remus about all the pranks he and his friends had pulled so far causing him to erupt in laughter after hearing about giving Snape Amortenia.

Once Remus had calmed down he started to ask Alex questions about him and Susan.

"So Alex, have you kissed her yet?" said Remus in a slightly teasing tone.

Alex blushed slightly.

"Yes, when we were on holiday in France this summer, it just sort of happened, a bit out of nowhere" said Alex.

"You forgot to tell him she was in her swimsuit at the time" said Harry lightly punching him in the arm.

Alex went red to the amusement of the others.

Remus checked his watch.

"Oh my, its time for dinner, we seem to have lost track of time while we were talking, come on, I'll walk you down" said Remus.

Once they stood up Remus banished the settee.

Dorcas suddenly walked up to Remus and wrapped her arms around him to his surprise causing Harry and Alex to smile.

"Mum and Dad want to invite you over for the Christmas holidays, will you and your Family come and spend the holidays with us?" said Dorcas looking at him with pleading eyes.

Remus looked down at her and smiled.

"If Natalya agrees to it then yes we'll come and spend Christmas with you, but between you and me, she'd love too" said Remus.

Dorcas smiled before letting go of him.

Alex turned to Harry and whispered something into his ear causing Harry to nod.

Harry walked over to Dorcas.

"Come on Dor, you can come and join me at the Lions table for tonight" said Harry.

She smiled before the two walked out of the room leaving Alex and Remus alone.

"She reminds me of her Mother from our school days, a wild and spirited animal waiting for someone to tame them" said Remus.

Alex smiled.

"She's your God Daughter you know" said Alex.

Remus turned his head sharply to look at him.

"My what?" said Remus in slight shock.

"Your God Daughter, even though you weren't around, Mum and Dad named you her Godfather, even though you weren't there, they never had a second thought about naming you Godfather" said Alex.

"But I wasn't-" said Remus.

"I know you weren't there, but I think they always hoped you would come back one day" said Alex interrupting Remus.

Remus smiled sadly.

"I always wondered what would have been had I never left your parents when I did, but eventually I realised what I would have given up if I did, I married a wonderful woman and I'm a proud Father to a great boy, as bad as it sounds if Dumbledore never tracked me down I doubt I would have come back, I had a new life with my Family, something worth waking up every morning for, I know that sounds awful" said Remus.

Alex smiled in understanding.

"Only a little bit, but not much, you have a family who loves you, no one could blame you for staying with them" said Alex.

Remus smiled wrapped him in a one armed hug.

"Thanks Alex, come on, lets go down to dinner" said Remus.

Alex smiled and let go of him before the two walked out of the room.

Once they were outside of the classroom Alex reached into his pocket pulling the two way mirror out of it.

"Remus, I mean Professor Lupin" said Alex.

Remus stopped walking and smiled.

"You can call me Remus in private Alex" said Remus.

Alex handed the mirror to him.

Remus took it in surprise.

"So you can talk to Mum and Dad, they're anxious to find out where you've been for 12 years, the passwords Padfoot" said Alex.

Remus smiled and pocketed the mirror.

"I'll talk to them, come on" said Remus.

The two walked down to the Great Hall for dinner.

Alex saw Susan sat with Harry, Joe Katie, Astoria and Dorcas at the Gryffindor table. He walked over sitting down next to Susan greeting her with a peck on the lips.

"What did you talk to him about after we left?" said Harry.

Alex told them all about his conversation with Remus as they ate their dinner.

3rd September 1993

Alex and Susan walked into their joint Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff DADA lesson. They saw Remus stood at the top of the steps watching them all enter the room.

All the desks had been removed for today being replaced with a large oak cabinet that kept shaking violently.

Once all of the students had arrived Remus walked down the stairs towards them.

"Welcome to Defence Against the Dark Arts, I am your Professor Remus Lupin, wands out for today please" said Remus.

Everyone pulled their wands out.

Remus turned to look at the cabinet.

"Does anyone want to venture a guess as to what is in the cabinet?" said Remus.

"That's a Boggart" said Hannah.

"Very good Miss Abbott, 5 points to Hufflepuff, now can anyone tell me what a boggart looks like" said Remus.

"Its a shapeshifter, it takes on the form of your greatest fear" said Alex.

"Very good Mr Black, 5 points to Ravenclaw" said Remus.

The cabinet shook violently again.

"Now there is a simple spell to repel a boggart, Riddikulous, but the spell alone is not enough, what really repels a boggart is laughter, now lets practice saying that now, Riddikulous" said Remus.

"Riddikulous" said the entire class.

"Very good, a little louder, very clear, listen, Riddikulous" said Remus.

"Riddikulous" repeated the entire class.

"Much better, now the wand movement, observe, a sharp flick is required for this, like so" said Remus.

He flicked his wand forwards sharply.

The rest of the class copied him.

"Now I want you all to form a line, I want you to picture the thing you fear the most, and turn it into something funny, you will each have a chance to face the Boggart" said Remus.

The class formed a line and drew their wands.

"Are you all ready" said Remus.

They all nodded their heads.

"Good, the first person step forward" said Remus.

Anthony stepped forward with his eyes locked on the cabinet.

Remus pointed his wand at the cabinet unlocking it.

A pale vampire dressed in an expensive suit crept out of the cabinet and bared his blood soaked fangs at Anthony said Anthony who gulped slightly before pointing his wand at the Boggart.

"Riddikulous" said Anthony.

The Vampire's teeth dropped out of its mouth causing the class to laugh.

"Well done Mr Goldstein, next" said Remus.

Padma Patil stepped forward and pointed her wand at the Boggart which changed into a giant wasp.

"Riddikulous" said Padma.

The wasp changed into a stuffed animal identical to Filch and dropped to the ground causing the class to laugh once more.

"Next" said Remus.

Most of their class took their turns facing the Boggart transforming their worst fears into something amusing until only Susan and Alex were left.

Susan stepped forward.

The Boggart formed a figure in a black hooded and masked Death Eater garb.

Susan and most of the class gasped as Remus prepared to move towards her.

"Riddikulous" said Susan.

The Death Eater Boggart turned into a Jack In The Box.

"Next" said Remus with a serious look on his face.

Alex stepped forward and prepared to cast the spell.

The Jack In The Box transformed into his aunt Bellatrix Lestrange.

She had pale skin, long black hair and was dressed in a revealling black dress. She stared at him with a sickly evil smirk on her lips.

Remus stood up.

"Riddikulous" snarled Alex.

The Bellatrix Boggart burst into a small puddle of water on the floor.

Remus stepped in front of them.

The puddle shot into the air and formed a full moon emerging from the clouds.

"Riddikulous" said Remus.

The moon changed into a balloon which sped around the classroom as it deflated before flying back into the cabinet before Remus closed the door of the cabinet with his wand.

He turned to face the class.

"I think that's enough for one day, 5 points to everyone who faced the Boggart" said Remus.

The class turned to leave.

"Mr Black, Miss Bones, wait a moment please" said Remus.

The two turned around and walked over to Remus who was looking at them with a concerned look on his face as the rest of the class left.

"Lets go to my office" said Remus.

The two nodded and followed him upstairs to his office.

Once they sat down Remus called a House Elf to fetch them some tea.

Once they had their tea he conjured a settee for them to sit on.

"Are you two alright?" said Remus.

Alex and Susan nodded.

"Still slightly shocked" said Susan.

"Remus, are you angry at us for forcing the Boggart to assume their shape?" said Alex.

Remus shook his head.

"No of course not, I was shocked by it, but no I'm not angry, I'm just concerned about what it did to you both, mentally I mean" said Remus.

Alex wrapped his arm around Susan.

"I know I was only young at the time, but I can still remember what the Death Eater's looked like, its like a photo that's engraved in my mind, when I was thinking about what I feared the most that image just forced its way to the front of my mind, even when I tried to stop it" said Susan with slight tears in her eyes.

Remus nodded his head solemnly.

"What lesson's do you have next" said Remus.

"Ancient Runes, both of us have it" said Alex.

"You can stay here if you want, I'll send a note to Professor Babbling excusing you from her lesson" said Remus.

Susan nodded.

"Thank you Remus" said Alex.

Remus nodded then walked around to his desk to write a note.

He called a House Elf to deliver it for him and asked it to bring them some more tea and some chocolate.

Remus left them shortly afterwords to teach his next class.

Once Remus had finished his lesson Susan had calmed down so he took them down to the Great Hall for lunch.

4th September 1993

Harry was sat on his bed passing the time by looking over the Marauders Map. Joe was sat on his bed reading his Ancient Runes textbook for homework.

By chance Harry turned to the section revealing the Gryffindor dormitories and his eyes widened.

"Wormtail" snarled Harry.

Joe looked up from his book.

"What about him?" said Joe.

Harry stood up and handed the map to him.

Joe read the map and his eyes widened.

"This means Weasley's rat is Wormtail, how on earth is that possible?" said Joe.

"I don't know, but we need to tell Sirius" said Harry.

Joe put the map down and deactivated it.

"Come on, lets go to Remus, he can contact Sirius" said Joe.

"We can't tell him, its a full moon tonight" said Harry.

"Mcgonagall then, she'll contact Sirius or the Auror Office" said Joe.

Harry nodded.

"Come on" said Harry.

The two left Gryffindor Tower and walked to Mcgonagall's office.

Once there they knocked on the door.

After a few seconds Mcgonagall answered the door and looked at them curiously.

"Potter, Harper, why are you here?" said Mcgonagall.

"Its an emergency Professor, you need to call the Auror Office" said Joe.

"Whatever for boys?" said Mcgonagall.

"Peter Pettigrew, he's in Gryffindor Tower, disguised as Ron Weasley's rat Professor, he's in their dorm right now" said Harry.

"How do you know this?" said Mcgonagall with a serious tone to her voice.

"I have a copy of my Father's map" said Harry.

"I guess that's how you can evade teachers and Mr Filch when your out after curfew then, okay if he is in Gryffindor Tower I need you two to do something for me, something I shouldn't ask you to do" said Mcgonagall.

"What do you need us to do?" said Joe.

"Go back to the tower, and make sure no one goes into the boys dorm, get the prefects and Percy Weasley to help you, explain the situation to them" said Mcgonagall.

"Yes Ma'am" said Harry.

"Yes Professor" said Joe.

"Good, now off you go" said Mcgonagall.

The two quickly left her office and made their way back to Gryffindor Tower.

Once they were back in the tower they called Katie, the Twins, Angelina (5th year prefect), Alicia, Percy and Lee (5th year prefect) over to them.

They walked them over to a small table in the corner where they couldn't be overheard.

"Listen, we have a problem, Peter Pettigrew is in the third year boys dormitory, Mcgonagall wants all of us to keep all the male students in here, she doesn't want any of them going up into their dorms, she's contacting the Auror's who will come to apprehend him" said Harry.

Percy scoffed.

"Your surely mistaken Potter, how could one of the most wanted Wizards in the country be here in Hogwarts, much less in Gryffindor Tower" said Percy snidely.

Harry groaned slightly.

"Why don't you just shut up and do as your told, now have any of the boys gone up to their rooms, especially the third years?" said Harry.

Percy was taken aback.

"Answer him Percy" said Fred.

Percy scowled.

"Most of the first and second years have gone to bed, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan have gone up as well, the rest of the upper years are down here" said Percy.

Harry nodded.

"Okay, Percy, go outside and wait for Mcgonagall, Lee, you, Fred and George go and get the first and second years, me and Joe will get Thomas and Finnegan, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, can you three keep the rest of the students down here?" said Harry.

Angelina nodded.

"Okay" said Angelina.

She, Katie and Alicia walked towards the dormitories and told them students who were attempting to go upstairs to stay in the common room.

Percy stood over him trying to look intimidating.

"You can't order me around, I'm Head Boy, I'll have you in detention" said Percy.

"Shut up and get out" snarled Joe.

Percy was about to retort before Fred grabbed him by the arms.

"Quit your whining and do as Harry says" said Fred.

Percy snarled and stalked out of the Common Room.

Harry turned to the others.

"Come on" said Harry.

The five walked towards the boys staircase and walked upstairs.

Lee went into the first years dorm. The Twins went into the second years dorm. Harry and Joe walked up to the third year dorms and walked inside.

Seamus and Dean had just finished getting changed into their pyjamas. The two turned to face Joe and Harry.

"What are you two doing in here?" said Seamus.

"Go back down to the Common Room and stay there" said Harry.

The two looked at them in confusion.

"Why?" said Dean.

"Never mind why, just go downstairs, its important" said Joe.

The two walked past them out of the room.

Once they were gone Joe turned to Harry.

"Where the hell is he?" whispered Joe.

"I don't know, we'll shut him in so he can't get out" whispered Harry.

The two left the room and shut the door.

"Collaportus" said Joe.

They walked downstairs to find everyone in the common room looking at them in confusion.

"What's going on, why do we have to wait down here?" said one of the sixth year boys.

Harry turned to Lee and nodded.

"Now I don't want to alarm any of you, and what I am about to tell you may shock or scare some of you, but there is a dangerous criminal currently hiding in the third year boys dormitory, now don't worry we have locked him in there so he cannot get out, but due to this all of the boys are to remain here in the common room, the girls are free to go up to their rooms, Professor Mcgonagall will be arriving with the Auror's shortly, anyone who remains down here needs to stay well clear of the staircase, is that understood" said Lee.

Fortunately everyone nodded and remained silent.

Harry looked at the students.

"If anyone wants to wait outside to make themselves feel safer they can do so" said Harry.

Nearly all of the first and second years headed for the exit while some of the girls went upstairs to their dormitories.

Astoria walked over to him looking slightly scared.

Harry turned to face her.

"You better go up to your dorm Tori" said Harry.

"Can I stay here with you?" said Astoria.

Harry nodded.

"If you want, stay next to me okay" said Harry.

Astoria stood next to him on the right and gripped his arm.

Harry turned to face her.

"Don't worry, you'll be safe with me" said Harry.

She loosened her grip on his arm.

"Thanks Harry" said Astoria.

Professor Mcgonagall walked into the common room with Auror Dawlish, two other Auror's Harry did not recognise and Percy.

She picked up a cushion from one of the chairs and silently transfigured it into a rat cage.

She handed it to Dawlish.

Joe moved towards Dawlish.

"He's locked in the third year boys dorm, but he's hiding somewhere" said Joe.

Dawlish nodded and walked up the stairs followed by the other two Auror's.

A few minutes passed before a shout could be heard from the boys dormitories.

"Stun him, he's getting away" shouted one of the Auror's.

Unfortunately this caused multiple students in the common room to panic. In their panic they ran towards the portrait as a large grey garden rat came bolting down the stairs.

Mcgonagall whipped her wand out to stun the rat.

"Scabbers!" shouted Ron as the rat bolted across the floor towards the entrance.

He ran to catch it but did not look where he was going.

He slammed into Mcgonagall knocking her sideways to the floor causing her to miss the rat with her stunner.

She picked herself up as students tried to get through the entrance.

"Calm yourselves!" shouted Mcgonagall.

Harry and Joe whipped out their wands and sent stunners at the rat narrowly missing it by inches.

To their horror it ran into the crowd of students and subsequently out of the open entrance into the castle.

Harry snarled.

Astoria grabbed hold of his wand arm.

"Harry, calm down, there's nothing you can do now" said Astoria.

Harry lowered his wand calming down.

He turned to look at her.

"I'm sorry he got away Harry, but there's no use remaining angry about it" said Astoria.

Harry nodded.

"Thanks" said Harry.

Dawlish and the two Auror's walked down the stairs back into the common room.

"Where is he?" said one Auror.

Mcgonagall glared at him.

"Gone, thanks to your actions, what on earth were you thinking off shouting that he had got out of the room like that, you turned this common room into a mass panic" said Mcgonagall hotly.

Dawlish rounded on her.

"How dare you blame my men, you should have been prepared to stop him, I asked you to keep an eye on the staircase in case he tried to flee, and you couldn't even do that, unbelievable" said Dawlish.

"How dare you talk to her like that, you better hope Director Bones or Head Auror Black don't discipline you for that" snarled Harry.

"You dare talk to me like that boy" said Dawlish angrily moving towards Harry but Mcgonagall stepped in front of him.

"Yes I dare, and I'm sure Director Bones and Head Auror Black will be very interested in how you treated Professor Mcgonagall" said Harry.

"That I will" said the voice of Amelia.

She walked into the office followed by Sirius and Assistant Head Auror Rufus Scrimgeour.

Dawlish looked slightly nervous.

"Director Bones, I can explain" stammered Dawlish.

"I hope you can, outside, you two as well" said Amelia angrily.

Dawlish and the other two Aurors followed Scrimgeour out of the common room.

Sirius wrapped Harry in a hug and congratulated him on discovering Wormtail before he and Amelia left the common room.

Mcgonagall turned to Harry.

"Well, Mr Potter, take 50 points for defending a Professor, Mr's Weasley, Miss Johnson, Miss Spinnet, Miss Bell, Mr Harper, Mr Jordan, come here please" said Mcgonagall.

Joe, Katie, Fred, George, Lee, Angelina, Alicia and Percy walked towards her.

"Have 20 points each for your actions before the Auror's arrived" said Mcgonagall.

They smiled and thanked Mcgonagall who walked towards Ron who stared at her with a slightly scared look.

"As for you Mr Weasley, your recklessness helped a dangerous criminal to escape, had you not knocked into me trying to get to your rat we would have apprehended the criminal, 10 points from Gryffindor" said Mcgonagall angrily.

"That's not fair, and my rat wasn't a criminal, your talking crazy" said Ron clearly not thinking about what he was saying.

The entire common room went deathly silent as Mcgonagall's face went from annoyed to downright angry.

Ron went pale and tried to apologise but only spluttered.

"Am I Mr Weasley, well then I am hereby banning you from the first Hogsmeade trip on Halloween, you will stay in the castle, be grateful I am only banning you from the Halloween visit" snarled Mcgonagall.

Ron once again tried to splutter an apology but couldn't get the words out.

Professor Mcgonagall turned to face the students and calmed down.

"Alright, off you go to bed" said Mcgonagall.

She turned to leave the common room but Harry walked up to her.

"Wait Professor, I have something important to give you" said Harry.

Mcgonagall nodded.

"Hurry up then Potter" said Mcgonagall.

He turned to Joe and nodded.

Joe rushed back up the stairs to their room.

He came back down nearly a minute later holding the closed Marauders Map in his hands.

He handed it to Mcgonagall.

"Do you know how to unlock it?" said Harry.

"No, show me please" said Mcgonagall.

Harry pulled out his wand and pressed it to the parchment.

He unlocked the map before locking it again.

After this Mcgonagall put the folded map in the pocket of her robes and left the common room.

Unfortunately for them Pettigrew had fled the castle and the grounds disappearing for good.

6th September 1993

Sirius snorted as he walked up the gravel path towards a large grey manor. The path was surrounded by pink peacock statues and extravagant water fountains.

He walked up to the large black doors and used the oversized silver knocker to knock on the door.

Several minutes passed before the door clicked and opened.

Narcissa stood there dressed in a black witches dress eyeing him with interest.

"Lord Black" said the Narcissa coolly.

"Narcissa" said Sirius coolly.

"What do you want?" said Narcissa.

"Is your ponce of a husband at home?" said Sirius.

"He is, why?" said Narcissa fixing him with a cool stare.

"Good, we have business to discuss, about your son?" said Sirius.

"What about him?" said Narcissa.

"About his unprovoked attack on Alex on the Hogwarts Express, where he attempted to take one of the books your husband tried and failed to retrieve from our Family vault" said Sirius in a serious tone.

Narcissa let her mask slip and groaned.

"That foolish boy" said Narcissa under her breath.

She locked eyes with Sirius.

"Come inside, Lucius is in his study" said Narcissa stepping aside to allow Sirius to enter Malfoy Manor.

Like the outside of the Manor, the inside was decorated with a lot of extravagance with white marble floors, expensive chandeliers and fancy statues.

She led him through the main hall and up the stairs. They walked along the first floor corridor until they reached a shiny black wooden door with a black plaque with gold lettering spelling "Study" out on the door.

Narcissa knocked on the door and opened it.

She led Sirius inside where he saw Lucius sat at his oak desk reading through pieces of parchment.

He looked up at them and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw Sirius.

"Lord Black, to what do I owe this pleasure?" said Lucius in a strained voice.

Sirius walked over to him.

Narcissa locked eyes with Lucius.

"Lucius, Lord Black is here to discuss Draco's unprovoked attack on his son Alex, it seems Draco tried to steal one of the books you wanted me to collect from Gringotts" said Narcissa.

Lucius looked at Sirius.

"Lord Black, I am sure my son did not mean to do this, how can we resolve this?" said Lucius.

Sirius fixed him with a cold glare.

"Well House Black demands a formal apology from Draco and my son and daughter will require a public verbal apology from him, if he complies with this then the matter will go no further" said Sirius.

Lucius seethed slightly as he tried to think of a way out of this predicament before sighing in defeat.

"Very well, it shall be done, Narcissa escort Lord Black out" said Lucius returning to his work.

"Good" said Sirius before turning and following Narcissa out of the door.

She led him through the manor and towards the door opening it for him.

"Good day Lord Black" said Narcissa coolly.

"Farewell Narcissa" said Sirius coolly before walking through the door not looking back.

He walked along the path until he was outside the wards and disapparated.

Over two weeks after Pettigrew escaped Mcgonagall returned the Marauders Map to Harry after one of his Transfiguration lessons along with a reminder to stay out of trouble.


	22. Chapter 22

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

23rd September 1993

Harry, Alex, Susan and Dorcas made their way along the corridor towards the DADA classroom.

Once they arrived at the door Harry knocked.

Barely a minute later the door opened with Remus stood in the doorway with a small smile.

"Come in" said Remus.

The four walked into the classroom and followed him to his office which was open.

"Who is it Daddy?" said the voice of a young boy.

"Its a surprise Pup" said Remus.

They followed him up the stairs and into the office.

Natalya was sat on the conjured settee with a mug of coffee in her hand.

She was dressed in a black t-shirt with some sort of German Wizard band on the front with jeans and black and grey trainers. She had her long brown hair tied back in a ponytail.

James was stood next to her dressed in a white shirt with a brown wand on the front of it and brand new blue jeans. He had his light brown hair slightly spiked up.

"Are these your friends children Remus?" said Natalya.

"Yes Talya, Harry Potter, Alexander Black, Susan Bones and Dorcas Black" said Remus nodding his head at each of them as he introduced them.

Natalya smiled and stood up. She took James's hand and led him over to them.

"Kids, meet my wife Natalya, and our son James" said Remus.

Alex stepped towards her holding out his hand.

"Pleased to meet you Mrs Lupin" said Alex.

Natalya just pulled him into a hug instead which he gratefully returned.

"Its lovely to meet you all, and please just call me Natalya, or Talya if you want, Mrs Lupin makes me feel old" said Natalya.

She let go of Alex and received hugs from Harry, Susan and Dorcas.

She knelt down to James.

"Go on honey, say hi" said Natalya kindly.

James nodded and slowly walked towards them.

"Hello" said James nervously.

Susan walked towards him and knelt down in front of him.

"Hello James" said Susan sweetly.

"You know my name" said James nervously.

"Yes, your Father talks about you all the time, he says your his special little pup" said Susan soothingly.

James went slightly red in embarrassment.

"Don't embarrass the little guy Sue" said Alex smirking.

Alex knelt down in front of James as Susan stood up.

"Don't let her embarrass you kiddo, that's a great shirt by the way" said Alex.

James smiled at him.

"You like it" said James.

"I love it" said Alex.

Harry and Dorcas said hello and talked to James.

 _20 minutes later…_

They were all sat down on the chairs and settee that Remus had conjured for them listening to Natalya tell them about her life when a voice at the doorway interrupted them.

"Oh pardon me, I'm terribly sorry for interrupting, I'll come back later Remus" said Mcgonagall.

"Its okay Minerva, come on in" said Remus.

Mcgonagall slowly walked into the office and looked at Natalya and James with slight curiosity.

"Minerva, allow me to introduce my wife Natalya, and our son James, Talya, this is Professor Mcgonagall, Head of Gryffindor House, she and I go back a long way" said Remus.

Mcgonagall smiled.

"Lovely to meet you both" said Mcgonagall.

"And you too, Remus speaks very highly of you, even though he always questioned your decision to let him remain a Prefect when he always let his friends get away with everything" said Natalya.

"Yes, I questioned that decision for years" said Mcgonagall.

"How can I help you Minerva?" said Remus.

Mcgonagall turned to face Harry.

"I was hoping to speak to Mr Potter about an urgent matter, but I can come back later instead" said Mcgonagall.

"No its okay, we can talk outside" said Harry standing up.

Harry followed Professor Mcgonagall out of the office and down the stairs.

Once they reached the end of the classroom near the door she stopped and turned to face him.

"The Minister For Magic wants to speak to you" said Mcgonagall.

Harry looked stunned.

"What for?" said Harry.

"About your part in discovering Peter Pettigrew, I think he's trying to find out how you discovered he was in Gryffindor Tower" said Mcgonagall.

Harry looked really nervous.

"Why now, its been weeks since Pettigrew escaped?" said Harry.

"I don't know, but I know if you tell him about the map he will no doubt try to take it from you" said Mcgoanagall with a bit of distaste in her voice.

"What can I do, if I tell him then I lose the map, if I don't tell him then things might run the risk of getting worse" said Harry.

"Tell him the truth, I will handle him if he wishes to take the map from you" said Mcgonagall.

"How?" said Harry.

"Never you mind how, just do as I said, myself and your godparents will be present during this meeting, so will Amelia Bones as it relates to her department, its very likely she will be the asking the questions" said Mcgonagall.

Harry nodded.

"Okay Mr Potter, you can go back now" said Mcgonagall.

"Thank you Professor" said Harry before turning around and walking back up to Remus's office.

When he walked back into the office the others were looking at him with interest.

"What did Professor Mcgonagall want?" said Remus.

Harry sighed before telling them about his meeting with the Minister For Magic and how Mcgonagall reassured him that she will sort everything out.

25th September 1993

Harry followed Professor Mcgonagall through the corridor towards the Gargoyle Entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Acid Pops" said Mcgonagall.

The entrance opened revealing the staircase. Harry and Mcgonagall walked up the stairs towards Dumbledore's office.

Mcgonagall knocked on the door before opening it and leading him inside.

Dumbledore, Sirius, Marlene, Amelia and Fudge were all stood around Dumbledore's desk waiting for them.

Mcgonagall led Harry towards the desk where Sirius and Marlene gave him a hug each before turning to face Fudge.

"Shall we begin?" said Dumbledore.

Fudge nodded.

"Well then Heir Potter, would you please enlighten us on how you discovered Peter Pettigrew was residing in Gryffindor tower on the evening of the 4th September 1993?" said Amelia pulling a self writing quill and notebook out of her robes.

Harry nodded before describing the events of seeing Pettigrew on the Marauders Map and the details of Pettigrew's escape with Fudge and Dumbledore taking a peculiar interest in his Marauders Map.

After 20 minutes he finished his story.

"This map, Mr Potter, may I see it please?" said Fudge curiously.

"May I ask why?" said Harry folding his arms.

"I wish to have some of my people study it, in hopes of using or replicating it, purely business interest I assure you" said Fudge.

"I'm sorry, but no" said Harry.

Fudge looked rather displeased.

"Now see here, this map shows everyone in this castle, leaving it in the hands of a student is not something I would like to do" said Fudge.

"Mr Potter no longer has the map Minister, I confiscated it from him that same night" said Mcgonagall.

Fudge turned to face her.

"Well then, as a direct order from the Minister For Magic I demand you hand over the map to me" said Fudge.

"You will not order my staff around Cornelius" said Dumbledore sternly.

"That would be impossible Minister, when I confiscated the map from Mr Potter he refused to show me how to unlock the complex locking charm that revealed the contents of the map, so I destroyed it, something that didn't go too well with Mr Potter here" said Mcgonagall.

Harry was amazed that Fudge bought the lie.

"You destroyed it, but what would stop Mr Potter from creating another one" said Fudge in slight shock.

"I stole the map from Mr Filch's office in my first year, the map was created by my Father who left no instructions on how to make another one, but Professor Mcgonagall and Professor Dumbledore were not aware that I stole it from Mr Filch Minister" said Harry with fake sincerity.

Sirius and Marlene were fighting hard to contain their laughter but went unnoticed by the others.

Fudge spluttered.

"You stole it from a member of staff, I think that calls for punishment" said Fudge.

"That it does, a months detention with Mr Filch Mr Potter" said Dumbledore.

"Surely you can let those detentions slide Albus, after all had Mr Potter not stolen a map that was rightfully his in the first place then Mr Pettigrew may have gone undetected for much longer, perhaps even forever" said Amelia.

Dumbledore sighed.

"Well I suppose I could remove the detentions, but the theft will cost Mr Potter some house points, namely 50, and a stern warning not to steal from Mr Filch again" said Dumbledore.

Harry nodded.

"Of course Headmaster" said Harry.

"Well I think this concludes our business here, come on Harry" said Marlene.

Harry nodded as Sirius and Marlene led him out of the office and back down the stairs.

They led him down to the Great Hall before exchanging their goodbyes with him as Mcgonagall caught up to them.

"I'll escort you back to Gryffindor Tower now Mr Potter, farewell Sirius, Marlene" said Mcgonagall in softer voice than usual.

The two said goodbye to their old teacher and head of house before walking out of the door onto the castle grounds.

Once they were back at Gryffindor Tower Harry turned to face Mcgonagall.

"I can't thank you enough for that Professor, for covering for me, thank you" said Harry bowing his head and smiling at her.

"Noted, but remember, this conversation never happened Mr Potter" said Mcgonagall winking at Harry.

Harry nodded and walked back into Gryffindor Tower.

He told Joe and Katie all of the details about his meeting with Fudge and the events afterwords.

31st October 1993

Alex walked over to the Hufflepuff table where Susan was sat eating her breakfast with Hannah and Sally-Anne.

He sat down next to her and gave her a peck on the lips.

"Save that for Madam Puddifoots you two" said Hannah jokingly.

Susan blushed while Alex paled.

"We're not going in there" said Alex.

"Why not, too romantic for you" said Hannah.

"No, too girly for me" said Alex.

The other three chuckled before Susan squeezed his hand.

"We don't have to go there, there's plenty of other places we can go to instead" said Susan.

Alex smiled.

They kept eating their breakfast until Professor Mcgonagall made her way down from the staff table telling them to line up outside for the Hogsmeade trip.

The four made their way out of the Great Hall into the courtyard along with the rest of the upper years.

To their surprise Ron was stood with Neville and Hermione waiting to go to the village.

"I thought he was banned from this visit" said Susan.

Alex saw Mcgonagall walking towards the three.

"Looks like he still is" said Hannah.

"Where do you think your going Mr Weasley?" said Mcgonagall sternly.

Ron looked slightly nervous.

"To Hogsmeade Professor" said Ron nervously.

Mcgonagall glared at him.

"I don't think so, you seem to have forgotten that I banned you from this Hogsmeade visit back in September, so I'll ask you again, where do you think you are going?" said Mcgonagall.

Ron looked around nervously.

"I uhh, I forgot" said Ron.

"Clearly, please go back inside" said Mcgonagall gesturing her hand towards the doors.

"Please, I'll be the only third year not going, can't you just waive it for today, I'll do detentions instead" said Ron.

"No, please go back inside, you'll have to wait until the next Hogsmeade visit" said Mcgonagall.

"Its so unfair" mumbled Ron as he turned and walked back into the castle.

Mcgonagall turned to them.

"All right follow me" said Mcgonagall.

They followed her out of the courtyard and down the path towards the village.

Once they arrived in the village Mcgonagall gave them their usual warning about their behaviour before letting them go.

Alex and Susan set off walking to the shops looking in the windows of a few of them before walking into Gladrag's Wizarding Wear.

Alex found a very nice pair of dragon hide gloves as Susan walked over to him holding a shiny bronze coloured skirt in front of her.

"What do you think?" said Susan holding the skirt in position.

"It looks great, you thinking of getting it" said Alex.

Susan smiled.

"Yeah, but lets keep having a look round first, will you hold this?" said Susan smiling as she held out the skirt for him.

He smiled and took it from her.

She went to look around at some more clothes as he made his way over to the till where a brown haired witch in her mid 40's was serving a 5th year Hufflepuff girl.

When the Hufflepuff girl had finished the witch motioned for him to come to the counter.

He placed the gloves and the skirt on the counter.

"10 Galleons please" said the Witch with a smile on her face.

Alex pressed the side of the till with his Heir Black ring making the payment from his trust vault.

The Witch bagged the clothes for him and handed it to him.

"Thank you, enjoy your day" said the Witch smiling at him.

Alex returned the smile and walked back towards Susan who turned to face him while she was holding a gold coloured blouse in her hands.

She looked at the bag and smiled.

"You didn't have to buy it for me" said Susan softly.

Alex smiled and pecked her on the lips.

"I know, but I wanted too" said Alex.

Susan grabbed his free hand with hers.

"Come on, I'm not done yet, and I need to find something for you as well" said Susan grinning.

Alex chuckled as she picked up a few more clothes and walked into the changing rooms to try them on as Alex looked at each item of clothing that she put on complimenting her each time she showed him her new clothes.

After she had paid for her new clothes Alex placed the skirt he bought for her in her bag before they left the shop.

They made a stop at Honeydukes and bought a variety of sweets for Dorcas and themselves.

"Where to next?" said Alex as they walked out of Honeydukes pausing to greet some of the Ravenclaw 4th years.

Susan handed her Honeydukes bag to him.

"We can keep walking round the shops if you want, what time are we meeting Harry?" said Susan.

Alex checked his pocket watch.

"At 2 at the Three Broomsticks, so we've got another hour yet" said Alex.

"Well, lets keep looking around the shops for now" said Susan.

The two kept walking down the High Street when they noticed Harry, Joe, Katie, Cho and Marietta walking out of Quality Quidditch Supplies.

They paused in surprise when they saw Harry.

Marietta was holding onto Harry's arm and talking animatedly with him.

"Do my eyes deceive me, or is Marietta hanging onto Harry's arm" said Alex.

"Looks like it, you think he likes her?" said Susan.

Alex grimaced.

"Merlin I hope not, she's a stuck up cow" said Alex.

Susan looked at him in surprise.

"Really, well if she is then I doubt Harry would like her, you know he's a great judge of character" said Susan squeezing his hand.

Alex nodded.

"Your right, perhaps I'm looking into this too much, come on" said Alex.

The two walked into Zonko's.

They kept looking around the shops for an hour before walking to the Three Broomsticks to meet up with Harry and the others.

When they arrived they spotted Harry and the others sat on a larger table in the corner of the pub with two empty seats.

They each had a mug of Butterbeer and there was a bag of Bertie Bott's beans on the table that they were all helping themselves to.

Harry looked up and signalled for them to come over and sit down.

They walked over and sat down in the empty seats at the table.

"You two enjoying yourselves then?" said Cho.

"Yeah, its been great" said Susan.

"What have you done since you got here then?" said Katie.

Alex told them which shops they had been in as Madam Rosmerta made her way over to them and handed him and Susan a Butterbeer each.

Susan showed Katie, Cho and Marietta all of the clothes she had bought as well as the skirt Alex bought for her.

After a few drinks they ordered their food with Harry deciding to be generous and paid for all their meals despite multiple protests from the others.

Once they had eaten Alex and Susan left the others to continue looking around on their own.

They walked out of the village heading for the Shrieking Shack.

It was a small battered two story house with broken windows and signs of wear and decay could be seen clearly on the wood.

They stood outside the wall surrounding the Shack 50 feet away.

"This is it, this is where they used to send Professor Lupin to have his transformations" said Susan.

"Yeah, no wonder people thought it was haunted, it certainly looks haunted" said Alex.

Susan squeezed his hand.

"Poor guy, imagine being alone for his transformations for years in there, out of reach of everyone, no one to comfort him after he changed back to a human" said Susan sadly.

Alex nodded.

"Yeah, thankfully he wasn't alone for long, he had friends who became Animagi just to help him" said Alex.

"Do you want to go a bit closer?" said Susan.

Alex shook his head.

"No, we can just stay here for a bit?" said Alex.

Susan nodded.

They stayed outside the Shrieking Shack for another 10 minutes before heading back to the village.

 _Later that night…_

Alex walked into the Great Hall with Dorcas for the Halloween Feast. They made their way over to the Ravenclaw table and sat down next to Luna.

"Hello Alexander, Dorcas" said Luna in her usual dreamy voice.

"Hey Luna" said Dorcas smiling at her.

"Hey Luna" said Alex wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her to him slightly.

"How was Hogsmeade?" said Luna.

"It was really good, here I got the sweets you asked for" said Alex pulling a gold and pink blend Honeydukes bag out of his pocket and handing it to her.

Luna smiled.

"Thank you Alex" said Luna.

Alex smiled and helped himself to the food.

As he started eating roars of laughter could be heard around the Great Hall.

He turned around and saw what everyone was laughing at.

All the students who had been sat at the Slytherin table had been replaced with a variety of animals ranging from birds, reptiles, mammals and other animals including a chicken.

Professor Snape jumped up from the Head Table and marched furiously down to the Slytherin table.

Meanwhile on the Gryffindor table a group of people were roaring with laughter over their handiwork.

"I wonder how long they'll stay transformed" said Harry.

"Depends how much they drank, it won't be more than a few minutes surely" said Joe.

"Its a shame you guys had to do that to Daphne and the others though, its funny, but its still a shame" said Astoria laughing.

"It would have looked suspicious if they didn't fall victim to it, but we didn't spike the goblets, we spiked the pitchers, so everyone will have drunk it" said Harry as some of the students including an incredibly pissed off Daphne changed back to their human selves.

Daphne turned to face them and locked eyes with Harry glaring at him.

"Oh your dead now Harry, she only looks at people like that if she's really pissed off" said Astoria.

Harry smirked.

"Challenge accepted" said Harry.

Astoria punched him in the arm.

"Your funeral Harry" said Astoria.

Harry laughed and continued eating his food for the rest of the feast.

Daphne attempted to get a bit of payback on Harry a few days later but he was able to repel her efforts causing her to give up with great reluctance.

8th November 1993

Harry was sat in the Gryffindor team tent with the rest of his teammates as Wood went through his usual last minute repeat of the tactics.

He looked outside and frowned slightly.

Today was the worst type of weather for Quidditch.

A thunderstorm packed with heavy rain and occasional bouts of hailstones.

"How on earth will I be able to see the snitch in that" thought Harry as Wood finished his team talk.

Harry pulled out his Quidditch goggles after a thought came to him.

He pointed his wand at them.

"Impervious" said Harry.

The goggles glowed white for a few seconds.

"Good idea Potter, Impervious charms to repel the rain, everyone do the same" said Wood.

The others did the same to their goggles before putting them on and picking up their brooms.

They followed Wood out of the tent and towards the pitch with the rain still hammering down on them.

Once they reached the end of tunnel they mounted their brooms and flew out of the entrance onto the pitch.

Looking around Harry could see that all of the students were wearing their waterproof cloaks with the hoods up. A few of the students had also brought Umbrellas with them.

As usual he spotted Sirius and Marlene sat in one of the towers with the Tonks's this time. He didn't see Remus but then remembered that it was a full moon the night before and that he must have been too worn out to come to the match.

He got into position opposite the Hufflepuff Seeker Cedric Diggory. He nodded at Cedric who returned his nod and a small smile.

Cedric was a year above Harry in his 5th year with brown hair.

They looked down at the pitch to see Madam Hooch giving her usual introduction and warnings before releasing the balls starting the match.

Harry stayed in his position high above the others searching for the snitch in great detail.

Although the Impervious spell did well to repel the rain from his goggles it still messed with his visibility slightly as he had to focus his eyes more to actually see the snitch.

He kept this up for another 15 minutes when suddenly he spotted a flash of gold out of the corner of his eye.

He darted for it but to his displeasure Cedric had seen it before him and was already chasing the snitch.

"Come on" said Harry willing the broom to go faster as he slowly closed the distance between himself and Cedric as they climbed higher and higher above the pitch.

He grinned as he got closer to Cedric and the snitch.

"Almost there, come on" thought Harry.

Suddenly there was a flash of light and everything went black for Harry.

The next thing he knew he was lying on his back as he slowly opened his eyes.

He saw his friends, family, teammates minus Wood for some reason, Mcgonagall and Cedric stood around him looking down at him with worry.

He looked around slightly to see that he was in the Hospital Wing.

"What happened, how long was I out?" said Harry groggily.

"Nearly an hour, and you don't remember?" said Katie with a lot of concern in her voice.

"The last thing I remember was chasing the snitch with Cedric, then a flash of light and everything went black, what happened?" said Harry.

Some of the others looked at Cedric who sighed.

"The footrests on your broom got struck by lightening, the force of it caused you to fall off your broom" said Cedric.

Harry looked really shocked.

"What happened after that?" said Harry.

"Everyone in the stadium saw you fall towards the pitch, but I managed to cushion your fall, and we brought you straight here" said Mcgonagall in shock and concern.

Harry sent her a thankful smile and managed to sit up.

"Where's Wood?" said Harry.

"Drowning himself in the showers probably" said Alicia.

"Does he?" said Harry.

"No, he's just upset that we lost, he'll come round in a few days" said Angelina.

Harry nodded and turned to face Cedric who was looking at him with a remorseful look on his face.

"I caught the snitch shortly after you got hit, I didn't even realise you had been hit until I turned around, and by that point you'd fallen a good 40 feet, I went to Hooch to get a rematch, but she refused" said Cedric sadly.

Harry smiled.

"Its alright Cedric, you won, I lost, no big deal" said Harry.

Cedric looked slightly shocked before smiling at him.

Joe stepped forward with something wrapped in a Gryffindor flag.

"There's something else, when you fell, your broom got blown into the Whomping Willow and well" said Joe unwrapping the flag and pulling a broken piece of the top of the broom out of the pile looking at it.

Harry looked at the broom in slight shock.

"I've had that thing for 3 years, and now it finally packs in, I'll have to get a new one before the next match" said Harry chuckling slightly.

"Wood will be begging you to get a Firebolt" said Katie smiling.

"I bet he would, how long have I got to stay here anyway?" said Harry.

"For another hour yet, Madam Pomfrey wants to have a proper look at you to make sure you don't have any injuries" said Marlene.

Harry rolled his eye.

"I have to stay here until then, great, just great" said Harry in annoyance.

Marlene stroked his hair as Madam Pomfrey walked back towards the bed.

She sent everyone apart from Sirius, Marlene and the Tonks's away so she could do a few diagnostic spells on Harry before allowing him to leave.


	23. Chapter 23

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

22nd November 1993

Harry, Joe, Katie, Alex, Susan and Dorcas were sat eating their breakfast at the Gryffindor table.

They were laughing at a joke that Joe had just told them when hundreds of owls flew into the Great Hall delivering the morning post.

Harry looked down the table and gasped in surprise.

Hedwig and two post barn owls were flying along the table towards him carrying a large broom shaped parcel.

They flew above Harry and dropped the package into his hands.

"Is that from Mum and Dad?" said Alex.

"Yeah" said Harry unwrapping the parchment that was fastened to the package.

 _Dear Harry_

 _We looked at this thing for a good 10 minutes before deciding to buy it for you. I know this will help you guys win the Quidditch Cup again this year. We know you'll love it._

 _Love Sirius and Marlene._

"Go on, open it, see which one they got for you" said Dorcas.

Harry placed it on the table and unwrapped the parcel.

The broom had a dark brown handle and neat brown/black tail twigs. There were two gold foot rests at the back of the broom above the tail.

"Is that a?" said Katie in slight shock.

"A Firebolt" said Harry in surprise.

More and more people on the Gryffindor table and some of the other house tables were looking at the broom with shock, envy and amazement.

"The fastest broom in the world, you gotta let me have a go on this" said Joe.

"Me too" said Katie.

"Of course, you can have a go after practice today" said Harry.

"Wood's gonna have a heart attack when he sees that" said Katie.

"Come on, lets go down to the Quidditch Pitch and test it" said Alex.

Harry and the others quickly finished their breakfast before getting up and walking out of the Great Hall with Harry's new Firebolt.

When they arrived on the Quidditch Pitch Harry mounted his Firebolt.

Daphne, Tracey, Blaise and Astoria made their way over to the others.

"Wicked, I want a go on that" said Tracey excitedly.

"Get in line" said Harry.

Harry took off from the ground at a speed almost twice as fast as his old Nimbus.

He flew a few laps around the pitch along with a few tricks and dives feeling amazed at how the broom responded to the slightest touch.

After a good 5 minutes of flying he landed back on the ground with an amazed look on his face.

"Wow, that was amazing" said Harry grinning wildly.

"We can tell" said Tracey.

Harry threw the Firebolt to Joe who caught it. He mounted it and took off doing a few laps around the pitch before returning to the ground.

Alex, Katie and Tracey had a go each on the Firebolt before Dorcas begged Harry to let her have a quick go as well.

Wood and the rest of the Gryffindor team arrived on the pitch for their practice session around half an hour later.

"Is that a Firebolt?" said Alicia in shock.

"You bet" said Harry.

"Nice one Potter, that cup is ours for sure now" said Wood.

"Ravenclaw won't know what hit them" said Angelina looking at the Firebolt in amazement.

"You gotta let us" said Fred.

"Have a go on that thing Harry" said George.

"Maybe right now" said Fred.

"While you and Katie are changing" said George.

Harry threw the broom towards them where Fred caught it.

"Knock yourselves out" said Harry.

Harry and Katie started walking towards the changing rooms while Angelina took the broom from Fred.

"Ladies first" said the voice of Angelina causing Harry and Katie to laugh slightly.

Alex and the others walked over to sit in the stands.

When Harry and Katie returned to the pitch they saw one of the twins zooming around the pitch while screaming noises of excitement.

He landed back on the pitch when he saw Harry approaching.

"That is mental Harry, Chang is going to have her work cut out for her in the next game" said George handing him the broom.

"That she is" said Harry mounting the broom and flying off.

Wood told them all to mount up and begin practice.

Harry caught the Snitch three times in record time during practice as well as evading each Bludger that the Twins sent his way with ease.

14th December 1993

Harry was walking along the path towards Hogsmeade holding hands with his date for the day.

She squeezed his hand causing him to look at her.

"Where are we going first then Harry?" said Marietta smiling at him.

She was dressed in a dark yellow hoodie and denim jeans while he was dressed in a red Christmas jumper and jeans.

"Anywhere you want" said Harry returning her smile.

The two had become fairly close since by chance Professor Flitwick paired them together for the latest double project in Charms. He knew that she liked him and decided to take a chance and ask her to Hogsmeade which she happily agreed to.

"What about Madam Puddifoots?" said Marietta.

"Sure, how about we look around the shops for a bit first though?" said Harry.

"I'd like that" said Marietta dragging him further along the path towards Hogsmeade.

The two walked off towards the shops where she spent over half an hour trying on different clothes before buying most of the ones she tried on.

Harry took her bags for her as they walked towards Honeydukes.

After they finished looking around the shops they arrived at Madam Puddifoots. It was a small cramped teashop that was emitting some light steam. It had been decorated for Christmas with wreaths, mistletoe and fake snow all over the walls and the two seat tables.

"Its nice isn't it" said Marietta with a smile.

"Yeah" said Harry.

He led Marietta inside and over to one of the tables. As they sat down a stout looking woman with a shiny black bun made her way over to them.

"What would you like m'dears?" said Madam Puddifoot with a sweet voice.

Various other couples made their way into the shop and sat down at the tables.

"A Hot Chocolate please" said Marietta.

"Same" said Harry.

"Two Hot Chocolates coming up" said Madam Puddifoot walking away from their table.

Marietta placed her hand on the table and sighed.

"I love coming in here" said Marietta.

"You do?" said Harry taking her hand causing her cheeks to go slightly pink.

"Yeah, its so romantic, especially on Valentines Day" said Marietta.

"I've never been here before actually" said Harry.

"Well, that's because its a couples only place" said Marietta.

"Yeah… I can tell" said Harry.

Madam Puddifoot returned with their drinks a few moments later.

"Thank you" said Harry taking a sip of his Hot Chocolate.

Harry put his mug down and looked at Marietta who was drinking her own Hot Chocolate.

"So Marietta, what do you want to do with your life, after school that is?" said Harry.

Marietta put her mug down.

"I'd love to be a model, my Mum's got connections with Teen Witch magazine, she's arranged for me to be a model for some of the latest teenage fashion this summer" said Marietta with an excited smile on her face.

"Wow, that's certainly something, I'm guessing you can use that to launch a modelling career" said Harry smiling slightly.

"Of course, you think I could do it?" said Marietta.

"Yeah, I'm no expert but, I know that modelling agencies value pretty girls" said Harry.

Marietta blushed slightly.

"Thank you, what about you?" said Marietta.

"Thinking about becoming an Auror, like my Father and my Godfather" said Harry drinking more of his Hot Chocolate.

"What about Quidditch, don't you want to turn pro, your good enough for it" said Marietta.

Harry smiled.

"Nah, I just play Quidditch for fun, its not something I ever thought about going professional with" said Harry.

Suddenly green mistletoe leaves landed on their joined hands causing them to look up where Marietta smiled.

Mistletoe was hanging on the ceiling above their table.

"Mistletoe" said Marietta sighing.

Harry looked at her as she was staring at him with reddening cheeks.

"Well, I think we better do something about that" said Harry smiling slightly.

"Do what?" sighed Marietta leaning across the table.

"Something like this" said Harry.

He leaned across the table closing the distance between the two and kissed her.

She pulled away after a few moments and looked at him with a wide smile on her face.

"Wow… that was something" said Marietta.

"That it was" said Harry.

Marietta smiled.

"So… what does this mean, for us?" said Marietta.

"What do you want it to mean for us, where can we take it from here?" said Harry.

Marietta smiled and blushed slightly.

"Well, the thing is, I really like you Harry, I was kinda hoping you might be, be my boyfriend" said Marietta slightly nervously.

Harry smiled and squeezed her hand.

"I might be, we've got the rest of the day to find out" said Harry smiling.

Marietta smiled.

"You wanna get out of here, maybe go for a drink in the Three Broomsticks" said Marietta.

"I'd like that, but I can go one better, how about lunch in the Three Broomsticks, my treat" said Harry.

"That would be nice, shall we go?" said Marietta.

"Yeah" said Harry placing a few Galleons on the table to pay for their drinks.

He took her arm and led her out Madam Puddifoots heading to the Three Broomsticks.

After lunch and a few drinks in the Three Broomsticks they spent the rest of the day looking round the shops again getting some of their Christmas presents before walking back up to the castle.

Once they were back in the courtyard Marietta turned to him.

"So… tell me, what are we now, given that we've had all day to find out" said Marietta.

Harry smirked.

"Well, this might answer your question" said Harry.

He leaned down and kissed her causing her to slowly wrap her arms around his neck.

She smiled at him.

"It does, eat with me at Ravenclaw tonight?" said Marietta.

Harry wrapped his arms around her shoulder.

"I'd like that, meet me outside the Great Hall just before dinner" said Harry.

Marietta kissed him.

"I will, see you later Harry" said Marietta.

She took her bags from him and walked back into the castle.

Harry smiled and walked back into the castle not knowing that two people had seen the end of his conversation with Marietta from the courtyard entrance.

"So… it seems Harry got a girlfriend" said Susan.

Alex sighed.

"It seems so, I'm just surprised its her of all people" said Alex.

Susan frowned.

"Come on Alex, you should be happy for him, he obviously sees something in her" said Susan.

Alex looked at her.

"I'm happy for him, but its just her, she's a stuck up bitch whose only interest is herself" said Alex.

Susan smacked his arm.

"Hey, I know you don't like her, but you said your happy for Harry, acting like you are now is not being happy for him, so cut it out" said Susan.

Alex nodded.

"Your right, come on, lets go back inside, I should write to Dora, she's been itching to tease Harry about getting a girlfriend, especially after all the teasing he gives her about boys" said Alex smiling at her.

Susan laughed slightly.

"Be careful Mister, or I might have to tell her that you were jealous of him, I know your not but she'd love to tease you about it" said Susan teasingly.

"You wouldn't dare" said Alex.

"Try me" said Susan mockingly and giving him a kiss.

"Is that a challenge Miss Bones?" said Alex smirking.

Susan shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe" said Susan.

Alex wrapped his arms around her.

"Your just lucky I love you so much" said Alex kissing her.

Susan smiled and the two walked back into the castle.

20th December 1993

Remus led Natalya and James through to the main sitting room in Grimmauld Place. Sirius and Marlene were sat down on one of the settee's with cups of tea in their hands.

Sirius looked at him curiously before he grinned madly.

"Moony" said Sirius putting his tea down and standing up before walking towards Remus.

Remus walked over to him.

"Padfoot" said Remus.

The two looked at each other for a moment before embracing each other in a tight hug.

"Its good to see you again, my old friend" said Sirius.

"I know, I have missed you and the others" said Remus.

The two let go of each other as Remus was caught slightly off guard when Marlene wrapped her arms around him.

"Why did you stay away Remus, we've missed you so much" said Marlene.

Remus nodded his head solemnly.

"I had too, I just wanted to put it all behind me after the war, I couldn't take the pain any more" said Remus.

Marlene let go of him and turned to Natalya and James who were watching the scene with interest.

"I'm glad your family came with you Remus, I've been dying to meet you since our son told us about you" said Marlene walking towards Natalya.

Natalya smiled.

"I've wanted to meet you and the others ever since he took the DADA job at Hogwarts" said Natalya.

"Are these Daddy's friends Mummy?" said James.

"Yes honey, these are Daddy's friends" said Natalya.

Remus smiled.

"James, meet your Uncle Sirius, and your Aunt Marlene, come and say hi" said Remus.

"Go on James" said Natalya smiling as she nudged him towards where Sirius, Marlene and Remus were stood.

James slowly walked towards Marlene who smiled at him and knelt down to hug him.

"Hello James, we've been looking forward to meeting you and your Mother for weeks, my children told me all about you" said Marlene softly.

"They did" said James.

"Yes, they said you were the kindest most polite boy they've ever met" said Marlene.

"Now now Marls don't keep him from his uncle" said Sirius walking towards them and kneeling down in front of him.

Marlene chuckled and stood up walking over to Natalya.

Sirius leaned towards James ear.

"Do you want to hear a secret?" said Sirius.

James nodded.

"Do you like dogs James?" said Sirius.

"Yeah, they're awesome" said James excitedly.

"You know, I can transform into one" said Sirius.

James eyes went wide.

"Can you?" said James.

"Do you want to see?" said Sirius.

James rapidly nodded.

Sirius smirked before transforming into a large black Grimm like dog.

He sat down and licked James's face.

"Eww, yucky" said James grimacing while giggling slightly.

The others laughed as Sirius stood up and walked towards Natalya who was watching him carefully.

She leaned towards Marlene's ear as Sirius circled the two of them.

"He's a great dog, would he play fetch with me" said Natalya.

"Yeah he would, he's very obedient, and house trained" said Marlene chuckling slightly causing Sirius to pout before turning back into a human.

"Not funny" muttered Sirius.

"Which part, playing fetch or being house trained?" said Remus.

"Both" muttered Sirius.

The others laughed at him.

"Come on, lets take your stuff upstairs, then Kreacher will make us a late lunch" said Marlene.

Sirius helped Remus carry the two trunks upstairs to two rooms opposite Harry's on the third floor followed by Marlene, Natalya and James.

"That ones Harry's room, you two can have this one, James can have the other one" said Marlene.

She opened the door to a bedroom containing an extravagant single bed, a wardrobe and a small desk inside of it.

"You can stay in here James" said Sirius.

James looked around the room with interest.

Sirius opened the door to the other room which was similar to James's room but it had a double bed instead of a single one.

"And this is your room, we'll let you guys get settled in while Kreacher prepares lunch, Andromeda is picking the kids up at two and bringing them here" said Sirius.

"I thought you guys would be collecting them" said Natalya.

"We were going too, but Andi volunteered so we could help you guys get settled in, besides she hasn't seen the kids since Alex's birthday and she wanted to spend some time with them" said Marlene.

"Is she stopping here for a bit?" said Remus.

"Only for an hour or so, but she and the others are coming round on Christmas Day" said Marlene.

"Are many people coming here for Christmas Day then?" said Natalya.

"Yeah, Amelia's bringing Susan around on Christmas Eve and staying overnight, Ted, Andi and their daughter Nymphadora are coming round on Christmas Day, I think that's it though" said Marlene.

"Little Nymphadora, she's a Metamophagus if I remember correctly" said Remus.

"Yeah, and a right terror, she and Harry seem to have this pranksters rivalry with each other and it always heats up around the holidays" said Sirius grinning wickedly.

"Sounds like my type of person" said Natalya.

"Wait until she turns her prankster nature on you, Harry told us she gave two of his friends a fire-breathing potion when they stayed at hers over the summer" said Sirius laughing.

Natalya laughed.

"Alright, we'll leave you guys to get settled in, Kreacher will tell you when lunch is ready" said Sirius.

"Okay, we'll be down in a bit" said Remus.

Sirius and Marlene went back downstairs as Remus and Natalya unpacked their trunks.

They were just finishing unpacking James clothes around 15 minutes later when Kreacher appeared in front of them telling them that lunch was ready.

Meanwhile the Hogwarts Express pulled into a packed Nine and Three Quarters.

Harry, Joe, Katie, Cho, Marietta and Cedric left their compartment carrying their luggage and headed for the exit.

They made their way onto the busy platform looking for their respective families.

Cho said goodbye to the others and dragged Cedric over to meet her parents.

Joe and Katie followed suit saying goodbye to Harry and Marietta before leaving them.

Harry turned to Marietta.

"I guess this is goodbye then, my parents are over there" said Marietta nodding her head to where her parents were stood.

Harry kissed her.

"See you after Christmas Marietta, I'll write to you" said Harry.

"See you after Christmas" said Marietta.

Harry gave her one last kiss before she turned and walked towards her parents.

Harry watched her meet with her parents before turning to see Alex and Dorcas stood with Andromeda and Dora who were looking at him with interest.

Harry made his way over to them.

"Hey Auntie, Nymphadora" said Harry giving them a hug each.

"That your girlfriend then Harry, the lovely Marietta that Alex and Dorcas told us all about" said Dora teasingly.

Alex and Susan chuckled as Andromeda and Dora smirked.

"Yes, why… your not jealous are you Nymphadora, I mean I know I'm good looking, if you really wanted to be what she is, you should've asked me" said Harry smirking.

Andromeda laughed as Dora got a funny look on her face.

"You are jealous, though it could be because your two younger cousins both have girlfriends while your still single" said Harry.

Dora glared at her Mother who smirked at Harry

"Prat" muttered Dora.

Harry and the others laughed before Andromeda led them all off the platform.

 _Half an hour later…_

Sirius, Marlene, Remus, Natalya and James were sat in the main sitting room when they heard the front door open.

"We're back!" shouted Dora.

"Half of London probably heard you shout" said Harry.

"More like all of London" said Alex.

"Shut up!" shouted Dora.

"We're in the sitting room" said Marlene.

They heard footsteps walking up the stairs before the door opened.

Harry, Alex, Dorcas, Andromeda and Dora walked into the room.

"Ted not with you?" said Sirius.

"He's working, I can't stay for long though, I'm due back in the office, got a big case tomorrow morning that I need to finish preparing for" said Andromeda.

"Okay, you might as well sit down, Andi, Nymphadora, there's two people we'd like you to meet" said Sirius.

"Don't call me that name" muttered Dora.

"Andi, Nymphadora, meet Natalya and James, and you remember Remus" said Sirius smiling as he ignored Dora's words.

The three got up and made their way over to them.

Natalya greeted Andi and Nymphadora and introduced James to them who seemed to be fascinated by Dora changing her hair colour.

"That's so cool, can you teach me how to do that?" said James eagerly.

Dora chuckled.

"Unfortunately not little guy, I was born this way, you can't learn how to do it" said Dora.

James pouted in disappointment.

She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him before turning to face Remus.

"I remember you from my cousins wedding" said Dora jerking her thumb at Sirius.

"I'm surprised you remember, you were only 6 at the time" said Remus in surprise.

Dora shrugged her shoulders.

"Long memory I guess" said Dora.

Sirius turned to Harry, Alex and Dorcas.

"Do you guys wanna go and put your things away, we'll head to Diagon Alley after your Aunt leaves" said Sirius.

Harry nodded and the three walked out of the room and dragged their trunks upstairs.

Natalya turned to Andromeda.

"What does your husband do for work Mrs Tonks?" said Natalya.

Andromeda turned to face her.

"He works at the Ministry, he's the deputy head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and you can call me Andromeda, or Andi if you want" said Andromeda.

Natalya smiled.

"Okay Andi, your a solicitor aren't you, do you have your own firm?" said Natalya.

"Yes and no, I don't have a firm, its just me on my own, and Nymphadora here is an Auror" said Andromeda.

"Don't call me that" muttered Dora.

"But she prefers to be called Dora, or Tonks" said Andromeda.

Natalya turned to Dora.

"How long have you been an Auror for Dora?" said Natalya.

"Just over two years now" said Dora.

"Even though she nearly failed stealth and tracking" said Alex walking back into the room with his arm around Dorcas followed by Harry.

"Not surprised, being clumsy will have that effect" said Harry clapping his hand on her back causing her to jolt slightly.

"I'll show you being clumsy" said Dora.

She went to push him before tripping over her own feet and falling forwards reaching out to grab hold of Harry.

Harry grabbed hold of her stopping her fall as laughter erupted throughout the room.

"What's that you were saying about showing me something?" said Harry pulling her to an upright position.

"Shut up" muttered Dora.

Harry let go of her and she walked towards where Marlene was sat.

He snickered as he looked at the piece of parchment he put on her back.

"SPANK ME"

She walked right past Andromeda who took one look at her back before slapping her rear.

"Ow" yelped Dora turning around to face her Mother.

Andromeda was smirking.

"What was that for?" said Dora angrily.

Remus noticed the parchment and spanked her.

"Hey" said Dora hotly.

Harry strolled over to her and spanked her.

He leaned towards her ear.

"You know if you wanted to be spanked, you could ask nicely, you don't need a piece of parchment" whispered Harry.

Dora fumed and reached around her back pulling the parchment off of her back.

"You little snake, I'll get you for this" said Dora.

"You say that every time I get one over on you, you know you can't match me for pranks" said Harry spanking her again before walking away.

"Is that right, its on Harry" said Dora annoyed.

"Yap yap, come find me when you get one over on me" said Harry.

Laughter erupted from the room as Harry sat down next to Alex and Dorcas.

Remus turned to Sirius.

"James Potter mark two" said Remus.

"That he is, but with Lily's heart" said Sirius.

Remus smiled.

"The best of both" said Remus.

25th December 1993

Alex walked out of his room dressed in his pyjamas and dressing gown holding a small box heading for Susan's room.

He knocked on the door.

"Come in" said Susan.

Alex smiled and opened the door walking inside.

Susan was sat on her bed tying the straps of her gold dressing gown around her waist.

"Hey, Merry Christmas" said Susan smiling.

Alex sat down next to her and gave her a kiss.

"Merry Christmas Sue" said Alex handing the box to her.

Susan looked at it with a smile on her face.

"An early present" said Susan.

Alex nodded.

"Open it" said Alex.

Susan opened the lid and smiled.

The box contained a small ruby on a thin gold chain.

"It's beautiful" said Susan giving him a kiss.

"I'm glad you like it, here let me put it on for you" said Alex smiling.

She smiled and handed the necklace to him.

She turned her back to him and he fastened the necklace round her neck.

She held it in her right hand and turned back to face him.

"I love it Alex, and I love you" said Susan.

Alex pecked her on the lips.

"I love you too Sue" said Alex.

Susan wrapped her arms around him.

"Come on, lets go down for breakfast" said Alex.

Alex stood up and helped her to her feet.

The two linked arms and left the room.

They walked down the stairs into the sitting room where Dorcas and James were sat together talking on one of the settee's.

"Merry Christmas" said Dorcas.

"Merry Christmas you two" said Susan.

"Merry Christmas" said Alex.

"Merry Christmas" said James excitedly.

Alex and Susan sat down on the settee opposite them as Remus and Natalya walked into the room.

"Merry Christmas kids, Harry having a lie in?" said Natalya.

"Might be, I heard him get back well after midnight, he was either drunk or whoever came back with him was, you could hear whoever it was stumbling up the stairs" said Susan.

"Harry won't have been drunk, I've got a funny feeling I know who was though" said Alex.

"Who?" said Remus.

"Who do you think?" said a male voice from the doorway.

Harry was stood in the doorway dressed in his dressing gown. To their surprise a tired Dora was stood next to him in her shirt and jeans from the previous night.

Alex and Susan smirked.

"So your the one who tripped up the stairs Nymphadora?" said Alex.

Dora growled slightly.

"Yes, then to my shock I wake up in bed with Harry of all people" said Dora.

Harry snorted.

"It was better than sleeping on the floor, even if you tried to kick me out of the bed five times, shall I tell them what else you tried to do, or what else you did?" said Harry.

"Yeah, yeah, what else did I do, I wasn't that drunk" said Dora impassively.

"You really want them to hear this, I wouldn't want to embarrass you too much" said Harry smirking.

"Embarrass me too much, I didn't do anything that embarrassing" said Dora.

"Oh no, so you don't remember trying to take your bra off when you were getting into my bed, I know your a wild one Dora, but I didn't think you'd go that far for me" said Harry.

The room erupted with laughter as Dora turned red with embarrassment.

"So you saw" said Dora nervously.

"Thankfully for you, no I didn't, I convinced you not to take it off, though no matter how much I insisted you wouldn't put your shirt and jeans back on, said you would be fine without them" said Harry.

Dora looked at the ground.

"What else?" said Dora.

"Other than your very loud snoring, nothing else" said Harry.

"My what?" said Dora as Alex, Susan, Dorcas and James laughed slightly.

"You snore like a bear Dora, it took me an hour to finally fall asleep" said Harry.

"I do not snore" said Dora angrily.

"You most certainly do, I could get your Mother to back me up if you want" said Harry.

Dora scowled and marched over to the chair sitting down.

"Who went out with you guys last night then?" said Dorcas.

"Just us, Joe and Katie, what a night it was as well, Club Magic Christmas Eve party is really good, you should've come with us" said Harry.

"We could've done, but we had a good time here" said Susan.

"Marietta not go with you then?" said Alex.

Harry shook his head.

"No, her parents wouldn't let her no matter how many times she asked them, Katie had to beg her dad to let her go" said Harry.

Alex turned to Dora.

"And how is it you ended up getting drunk Dora?" said Alex.

"Some guy bought me a few drinks, then suddenly leaves me on my own at the bar for some bimbo when I wouldn't kiss him, what a jerk" growled Dora.

"Yeah, I almost took her wand and hexed the guy, I should've stopped you from necking all those Firewhiskey's instead" said Harry walking over to sit down next to Dorcas.

"I should've stopped after the sixth one, sorry you had to take care of me after that" said Dora.

Harry smiled at her.

"Its okay, besides your kinda funny when your drunk" said Harry.

Dora laughed as Sirius and Marlene made their way into the room.

Marlene looked at Dora and smirked slightly.

"So it was you who was making all that noise last night" said Marlene.

"How drunk did you get?" said Sirius.

"Very, Harry brought me back here, can't remember what time though" said Dora.

"Just after 1.30, they stayed open late because of how many people were there" said Harry.

"Sounds like you guys had a fun night" said Marlene.

"Yeah, they've got another party night going on on New Years Eve" said Harry.

They kept talking until Amelia, Ted and Andromeda turned up half an hour later and they opened their presents with James enthusiastically ripping the paper off all of his faster than everyone else while Sirius, Alex, Dora and Dorcas smirked when they saw the heart shaped necklace that Marietta had bought for Harry. After they finished opening their presents Kreacher told them that their Christmas Dinner was on the table in the kitchen.


	24. Chapter 24

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

6th February 1994

Harry was sat next to the Twins in the Gryffindor tent listening to Wood give them their usual Oliver Wood motivational speech.

Fred groaned as Wood paused before going off on another monologue about tactics.

"Come on Oliver, we've been through this more than enough times, lets just get out there" said Fred.

Wood looked at all of them who looked rather frustrated with him before nodding.

"Very well, but are we all clear on the tactics?" said Wood.

"Yes" they all chorused.

Wood nodded sheepishly.

"Okay then, now lets get out there and win, Potter, wait until we've built up a big lead before going for the Snitch if you can" said Wood.

"Okay, I'll do what I can" said Harry.

Wood nodded.

"Okay lets go" said Wood.

They all stood up and followed Wood out of tent towards the stadium.

When they approached the stadium they heard the loud cheers of the Gryffindor students ringing in their ears.

They mounted their brooms and flew out onto the pitch.

They did their customary lap around the pitch before coming to a halt in the centre of the pitch.

"And introducing the Lions led by Captain Oliver Wood, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, the lovely Angelina Johnson who still won't give into my irresistible charm" shouted Lee.

"JORDAN!" shouted Mcgonagall.

"Right, and using the brand new Firebolt, the fastest broom in the world right now, with speeds reaching up to 80 miles per hour, currently priced at 8,000" shouted Lee.

"JORDAN, STOP ADVERTISING FOR FIREBOLT'S AND GET ON WITH THE INTRODUCTION" shouted Mcgonagall.

"Harry Potter" shouted Lee as cheers erupted from around the ground.

Harry was flying directly across from Cho who was looking at his Firebolt with awe.

"Wow, I guess I'll have my work cut out for me today" said Cho.

"And don't you forget it" said Harry with a smug look.

"I wouldn't look so smug if I was you, Marietta might not be happy with you if you win, she is a Claw remember" said Cho jokingly.

"Just wait until you and Diggory go head to head in your next match, besides I can make it up to her next week" said Harry.

Cho chuckled at him before looking down to see Madam Hooch preparing to start the match.

She released the Bludgers and the Snitch before picking the Quaffle up as Lee explained how catching the Snitch would end the game.

She threw the Quaffle up into the air where Angelina surged forwards and caught it before the female Ravenclaw Chaser.

"Johnson goes towards the Ravenclaw hoops supported by Bell and Spinnet, she interchanges passes with both of them before she shoots… saved by Marcus Clearwater, who distributes the Quaffle to Davies" shouted Lee.

Harry hovered above the centre of the pitch looking for the Snitch.

He watched the Gryffindor Chasers slowly build up a 130-40 before spotting the Snitch flying near the audience towers.

He took off after it catching up to the Snitch rapidly causing it to increase its own speed as Cho appeared just behind him.

The two followed the Snitch as it weaved between each tower.

After a few minutes it stopped weaving between the towers and shot towards the Gryffindor Hoops. Harry and Cho shot after it before the straight line speed of Harry's Firebolt easily outpaced Cho's Cleansweep 6.

"Too slow" shouted Harry as he closed in on the Snitch.

He reached out and wrapped his hand around the Snitch causing cheers to erupt from the Gryffindor students.

"Gryffindor wins 310-90, last place before this game and now they're within touching distance of the Quidditch Cup" shouted Lee.

Harry and the others flew back down to the ground and dismounted.

They made their way off the pitch towards the changing rooms to another massive applause from the Gryffindors.

 _Later that night…_

Harry, Joe, the Twins and Lee walked back through the portrait hole carrying crates of Butterbeer, sweets and sandwiches.

They heard noises of excitement from the Gryffindor students in the Common Room.

They placed the stuff on the table and organised it before turning back to the other students.

"Dig in" said Lee.

"To Gryffindor, this years Quidditch Champions" said Joe.

The other students cheered as Harry and Joe picked up some Butterbeer for themselves and Katie before making their way over to her.

They handed her a bottle of Butterbeer and joined in on her conversation with Angelina and Alicia as more and more students made their way over to the table helping themselves to food and drink.

Harry finished his bottle.

"Be right back" said Harry.

He walked over to the table and picked up another bottle of Butterbeer opening it. He turned to look at the students partying in the common room with a smile on his face.

"This is the life" thought Harry.

His eyes landed on someone sat near the back of the common room.

Hermione was sat on her own at one of the desks seemingly avoiding the party. What concerned him was that she was resting her head on the desk surrounded by a pile of books and parchment.

Harry took a swig of his Butterbeer before picking up another as he made his way over to her.

He placed the bottle next to her causing her to look up in shock before wiping her eyes.

"Are you okay Miss Granger?" said Harry.

Hermione yawned and wiped her eyes.

"Yes, of course I'm okay" said Hermione.

Harry sent her a smile in pity.

He looked at the pile of books on the desk and discovered that they were the prescribed year books for each of the 5 electives as well as a few a few additional course material books from the library.

"Hermione, are you studying for all the electives?" said Harry in shock.

Hermione yawned slightly before opening a "Beginners Muggle Studies" textbook.

"Yes, why?" said Hermione.

Harry sighed and sat down on the chair in front of her.

"Hermione, don't you think your pushing yourself a bit too hard by studying for five different electives, look at you, your exhausted" said Harry.

Hermione gave him an indifferent look.

"Thanks for your concern, but I'll be fine" said Hermione bossily.

Harry smiled sadly.

"You know, seeing you study this many subjects at your age reminds me of a story my Godmother told me at the start of my second year, would you like to hear it" said Harry.

Hermione looked at him in confusion before nodding.

"My Godmother's best friend was a girl named Lily Evans, like you she was a muggleborn who spent her first few years at Hogwarts trying to learn about as much this world as she could, and like you she was called one of the brightest witches of her age" said Harry.

Hermione nodded.

"During her fifth year she started self studying for the electives she hadn't taken in third year so she could get a few extra Owls, but it didn't work out for her, she burned out two months before her Owl's due to the amount of work she was trying to do, eventually my Godmother and a few other people convinced her to take a break and just concentrate on the subjects she wasn't self studying for, it took some convincing but she eventually agreed" said Harry.

Hermione looked at him clearly wanting more answers.

"What happened to her, did she regret not taking those extra Owl's, did she regret missing out on those extra qualifications?" said Hermione.

Harry shook his head.

"No, she knew she was pushing herself too hard, and she did the same with her Newt's, she only studied for the subjects she had chosen, but what happened to her is the same thing that's happening to you now, your pushing yourself to do more than your body can take" said Harry.

Hermione nodded.

"Thank you for your concern, but I'll be fine" said Hermione.

Harry looked at her in pity before nodding.

"Okay, but think about what I said, sometimes you just have to take a step back" said Harry.

He stood up to go back to the party.

"Do you know what happened to her, after all of that I mean?" said Hermione.

Harry sighed before sitting back down.

"You mean after Hogwarts?" said Harry.

Hermione nodded.

"Did your Godmother ever tell you more about her?" said Hermione.

Harry sighed before wiping a few tears from his eyes.

"She didn't need too, Lily Evans married one of her fellow Gryffindor's, a man by the name of James Potter" said Harry.

Hermione looked slightly shocked.

"You mean, she was your" said Hermione.

"My Mother yes" said Harry.

"Why don't you live with them, your parents, you live with your Godparents don't you?" said Hermione not realising the gravity of her words.

Harry looked at her in shock.

She swallowed in realisation of what she said.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that" said Hermione.

Harry nodded.

"Its okay" said Harry.

He wiped the traces of tears from his eyes and took a deep breath.

"My parents were murdered by Death Eaters a few days after Voldemort's downfall, I was only 2 at the time, and now I'm the last Potter, if I die, my family dies with me" said Harry.

Hermione looked shocked.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know" said Hermione.

"Muggleborns like yourself who read up on the recent history of our world especially the last war don't find out about most of the people who died in the war, those history books that got published only talk about how Neville defeated Voldemort, his Grandmother was killed by Voldemort that same night, my Godmothers entire family was killed in a Death Eater raid, your friend Ron lost two uncles, you'll find that quite a number of students from each house lost family during that war" said Harry.

"Even Slytherins?" said Hermione.

Harry looked at her curiously.

"Yes, does that surprise you?" said Harry.

"But aren't all Slytherins evil and don't they eventually go dark?" said Hermione.

Harry laughed.

"You've been listening to Longbottom and Weasley too much, no not all Slytherins are evil and not all of them go dark, they're just students Hermione, just like you and me, a quarter of this school are Slytherin students, tell me have you ever attempted to befriend any students from Slytherin House?" said Harry.

"No, they're all like Malfoy, they look down on me because I'm a Muggleborn" said Hermione.

"Not all of them are like that Hermione, here's some advice, don't let what Longbottom and Weasley say dictate who you make friends with, or what house your friends come from" said Harry.

Hermione nodded.

"Come on, leave the work for one night, come and join the party" said Harry.

Hermione looked back at her work.

"But" said Hermione before Harry interrupted her.

"No buts, the studying can wait for one night, come and enjoy the party" said Harry picking up the Butterbeer he got for her and handing it to her.

She took the bottle and stood up before walking over to where Neville and Ron were stood by the food table.

Neville was avoiding looking at Ron in embarrassment as the red haired boy kept grabbing fistfuls of sweets and cakes in his hands and stuffing his face with them.

"Use a plate Ronald" Harry heard Hermione mutter.

He made his way over to Astoria who was stood laughing with Ginny Weasley and the dark blonde haired second year Colin Creevey who had a grey Polaroid camera around his neck instead of his normal camera.

Astoria turned to face him and smirked.

"Here he is, our star seeker" said Astoria in an exaggerated teasing voice.

Harry laughed before turning to Colin.

"Here Colin, get a picture of me for Miss Greengrass, give her a lovely picture to tell all her bad jokes too" said Harry.

Astoria mock glared at him.

"Sure Harry" said Colin trying not to laugh.

He took a picture of Harry who flashed a cheeky smile for the photo.

The Polaroid photo came out of the bottom of the camera.

Colin shook it before handing it to Harry.

He tapped it with his wand.

"Animatus" said Harry.

Suddenly the Harry in the photo started winking before the camera flashed.

He handed the photo to Astoria.

"Enjoy" said Harry.

Ginny and Colin chuckled as Astoria sent a small glare at Harry.

"Not so fast Potter, you're having a picture with me as well, something for you to tell your bad jokes too" said Astoria.

Harry laughed and placed his arm around her shoulders pulling her into his side causing her to wrap her free arm around his waist.

"Come on Colin, you know the drill" said Harry.

Colin took the picture of both of them before handing it to Harry.

He tapped his wand against the photo and made the image move.

He showed Astoria the photo.

They were holding each other and laughing while holding bottles of Butterbeer.

"Lovely picture" said Harry.

Astoria snatched the photo from him.

"I think I'll keep hold of it, maybe send it to your cousin Nymphadora, I think she'd love something else to tease you about" said Astoria smirking.

Harry chuckled before taking the picture from her.

"I think not, later" said Harry.

He turned around and walked over to Joe and Katie.

Katie looked over to the table where Hermione had been sat.

"Are all those books Hermione's?" said Katie.

"Yeah, she's studying for all the electives" said Harry.

"All of them?" said Katie in shock.

"Yeah" said Harry.

"How on earth is she managing that?" said Joe.

"Not well, she looks exhausted, I had to almost beg her to stop studying and join the party, she seems determined to sit the exams for all of the electives" said Harry concerned.

"That's what, 12 different exams, how on earth does she plan to sit all of them" said Joe.

"I don't know, but I'm wondering how on earth she is able to do all of them, you can't take more than 2 electives, and its advised that you don't self study for them in third or fourth year, so why is she self studying for them now?" said Katie.

"Mcgonagall wouldn't have let her do this, especially if she could see her now" said Harry.

"Should we tell her?" said Joe.

Harry shook his head.

"No, I wanted to, but Hermione seems determined to carry on as she is, going to Mcgonagall will make things worse" said Harry.

"True, but we should mention something to Angie, she's a prefect, maybe she could keep an eye on her, maybe a prefect talking to her about this might get her to change her mind" said Katie.

"Okay, but enough about that, we've got a party to enjoy" said Joe downing his Butterbeer.

Harry laughed.

"What do you reckon, Mcgonagall comes in at 1 to tell us all to go to bed" said Katie.

"Yeah, or our dear Head Boy does it instead, but he'd do it an hour earlier" said Harry as the three started walking towards the refreshment table to get some food and more drinks.

Katie groaned.

"That's one person I will never understand, all he cares about is how to follow the rules in any way he can, especially since he got his Prefect badge, then his Head Boy badge almost doubled his rule abiding attitude, I swear if I ever become a Prefect I will not follow the Percy Weasley Prefect rulebook" said Katie.

"Same here" said Harry.

"I don't need to swear it, everyone knows Mcgonagall's gonna make you two the Prefects next year" said Joe.

"You never know, she might make you Prefect mate" said Harry.

"Nah, your her favourite student Harry, she'll choose you, not too mention you've got some of the highest marks in the year" said Joe.

Harry shrugged his shoulders as they reached the table where Neville, Ron and Hermione were talking amongst themselves.

"Who knows, besides we've got months until we find out who the new Prefects for next year are" said Harry picking up a Butterbeer from the table.

Katie was about to pick up a Cauldron Cake when a hand reached over her and picked two up dropping crumbs onto her hands.

She scowled and turned to look at Ron who stuffed one of the cakes into his mouth greedily.

"Do you mind?" said Katie in an annoyed tone.

"Wha?" said Ron with a mouthful of food.

She glared at him causing him to swallow it.

"I said do you mind, your dropping crumbs all over the table, and my hand while I was getting one of those cakes" said Katie as Ron bit into the other cake.

"So" said Ron.

Katie glared at him before walking away from the table.

"She means stop acting like a pig Ronniekins, if that's not too difficult" said Joe.

Ron glared at him before turning back to Neville and Ron who looked slightly embarrassed.

"Its no use reasoning with pigs Joe, they don't have enough brain cells to understand basic things" said Harry.

The two walked back to Katie.

14th February 1994

"Thanks for bringing me here Alex" said Susan.

They were walking hand in hand up the path towards Madam Puddifoots.

Alex had overheard Susan telling Hannah she wanted to go to Madam Puddifoots for Valentines Day during lunch the previous week. It was then that he decided to take her there even though he wasn't very fond of Madam Puddifoots.

When they got their they saw that it had been decorated for Valentines Day with dozens of golden cherubs flying over the tables throwing pink confetti onto the people sat down at the tables.

"Looks like she's decorated for Valentines Day" said Susan smiling.

"Yeah" said Alex.

The two walked inside and sat down at one of the empty tables near one of the windows.

Madam Puddifoot made her way over to them.

"Coffee with 2 sugars please" said Susan.

"Tea, very milky" said Alex.

"Coming up m'dears" said Madam Puddifoot.

"Thank you" said Alex.

Susan smiled at him before noticing something behind Alex and frowning.

"Someone doesn't look very happy" said Susan.

Alex turned around to see Harry and Marietta walking out of the shop. Marietta had a look of annoyance on her face.

"I wonder why" said Alex dryly.

"Hope its nothing too bad" said Susan.

"Who knows, maybe he didn't want to stay in here and she did" said Alex.

Susan shrugged her shoulders.

"Who knows, but we didn't come here to discuss Harry's love life" said Susan.

Madam Puddifoot returned with their drinks.

"So" said Susan.

Alex looked at her curiously.

"So, what?" said Alex.

"You enjoying this place" said Susan.

Alex sighed.

"To be honest, I'm not that fond of this place" said Alex.

Susan sighed.

"I can tell, how come you decided to bring me here then if you weren't going to enjoy it" said Susan.

"I overheard you telling Hannah you wanted to come here, I knew I wasn't going to enjoy it but you would, so I'll stay here as long as you want" said Alex.

Susan smiled and leaned over the table kissing him.

"How about we leave after we finish our drinks?" said Susan.

Alex looked slightly surprised.

"I thought you wanted to stay in here" said Alex.

"I do, but you don't, today's about both of us, if your not enjoying it here, then we'll do something else, how about lunch in the Three Broomsticks instead" said Susan.

"You sure?" said Alex.

"Positive" said Susan.

Alex sent her a small smile and had a drink of his tea.

"Okay, lunch, I'm buying" said Alex.

"We can both pay" said Susan.

Alex shook his head.

"No, I'll buy, since I'm the reason why were leaving this early" said Alex.

Susan smiled.

"Anyone ever tell you what a sweetheart you are?" said Susan.

"Yeah, one or two" said Alex having another drink of his tea.

Susan laughed slightly before kissing him.

When the two finished their drinks they left Madam Puddifoots heading for the Three Broomsticks.

When they arrived in the Three Broomsticks they were quite surprised to see Remus and Natalya sat at one of the tables chatting over a few Butterbeers.

Natalya looked up and saw them before sending them a small wave.

Remus turned around and gestured them over with his hand.

They walked over to them.

"Hey you two" said Remus.

"You look like your having a good day" said Natalya.

"Yeah, where's James?" said Alex.

"He's staying with your parents for this afternoon" said Natalya.

"Trust me, when you two have kids, no matter how much you love them, you'll crave a bit of time away from them" said Remus.

Alex and Susan went slightly red causing Natalya to smack Remus's arm.

"Don't be putting things like that in their heads Remus, they're only 13" said Natalya jokingly.

Remus laughed.

"Why don't you kids join us?" said Natalya.

"No its okay, you guys are having a good time by yourselves" said Susan.

"Its fine, join us, please" said Natalya.

"Talya, I think they want to have lunch on their own" said Remus.

"Maybe some other time Aunt Nat" said Alex.

Natalya gasped slightly.

Alex panicked slightly.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" said Alex.

"Its okay, it just caught me off guard that's all, I think it s great that you see me as an Aunt when I barely know you" said Natalya cutting him off and smiling.

Alex smiled.

"Mum and Dad always raised us to see Remus as an uncle, so we've always looked at you as our Aunt" said Alex.

Natalya grasped his hand.

"Such a sweet boy" said Natalya smiling.

"Thanks, well we'll see you guys later, say hi to James for us" said Alex smiling.

"We will, you two have a good day" said Remus.

"We will, bye" said Susan smiling and giving Natalya a hug.

Alex and Susan walked towards one of the empty booths in the corner and sat down.

After their meal and a few drinks they spent the next two hours looking around the shops before walking back up to the castle.

17th April 1994

Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team were sat in their tent thinking about their upcoming match against Slytherin. The match that would see them lift the cup with a victory.

The tensions between the two houses had been running at an all time high over the last two weeks with members of the Gryffindor team being the victims of frequent attacks.

Alicia Spinnet had been hit in the back with a spell that caused her eyebrows to grow down to her shoulders while she was studying in the library. Professor Snape didn't help matters by ignoring all the claims from students who saw Adrien Pucey hit her with the spell.

Even Draco had been bold enough to try and attack Harry who disarmed him before casting Aguamenti and a Freezing charm to stick Draco's feet to the floor for a good hour before Filch freed him.

Wood turned to face them.

"Well, its pretty clear after the last two weeks that the Slytherin's are doing anything they can to gain the advantage" said Wood.

"No surprises there" said Fred.

"They only do this because they know we can beat them, so expect their behaviour to increase tenfold in this game, be prepared for anything, understood" said Wood.

They nodded.

"Good, now lets get out there and bring the cup back to the lions den" said Wood.

"Here here" said George.

Wood picked up his broom.

Harry and the others stood up picking up their brooms before they all left the tent.

They flew out onto the pitch to earth shattering cheers.

"And here come the Mighty Lions, Oliver Wood, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, the lovely Angelina Johnson, love you baby, and finally Harry Potter" shouted Lee.

Harry smirked at Angelina who shook her head in disbelief.

Harry looked over to the towers above the Gryffindor's to see Sirius, Marlene, Remus, Natalya and James cheering them on.

Harry flew into the centre of the pitch directly opposite Draco who was looking at his Firebolt and scowling with envy.

"Jealous much, Ferret Face, maybe Daddy will buy you one if you wipe his ass for him" said Harry laughing.

Draco snarled.

Madam Hooch made Wood and Flint shake hands with the two trying to break each others fingers.

She released the Bludgers and Snitch before picking the Quaffle up.

She threw the Quaffle into the air before mounting her broom.

As Katie caught the Quaffle it became clear how far the Slytherin team were prepared to go to win.

Flint flew forwards and grabbed hold of Katie by her ponytail before leaning back on his broom forcing her to do a backwards cartwheel. She managed to stay on her broom but dropped the Quaffle in the process.

Shouts were heard from the Gryffindor students as Madam Hooch blew her whistle.

"Penalty to Gryffindor" shouted Madam Hooch.

Angelina took the penalty and scored to cheers from the Gryffindors.

"10 points to Gryffindor, take that you filthy snakes" shouted Lee.

"Jordan!" shouted Mcgonagall.

As the match went on with Gryffindor scoring more points, the Slytherin's got even dirtier.

Montague tried to kick Alicia off her broom as she prepared to shoot at the Slytherin hoops with Madam Hooch awarding Gryffindor another penalty.

Katie scored the penalty putting Gryffindor 70-20 up.

Barely a few minutes later Flint deliberately barged into Angelina almost knocking her off her broom while making no attempt to get the Quaffle from her.

"YOU CHEATING BAST-" shouted Lee.

"JORDAN, FOCUS ON THE MATCH!" shouted Mcgonagall who must have been working extremely hard not to join in with his raging.

Alicia missed the subsequent penalty before Fred threw his beater bat at Flint breaking his nose causing Hooch to give a rare penalty to Slytherin.

Harry smirked as Wood easily saved the penalty from Montague.

In retaliation both Slytherin Beaters hit both Bludgers into Woods stomach knocking the wind out of him.

"YOU CHEATING BASTARDS" shouted Lee.

Mcgonagall had given up on shouting at Lee and was angrily shouting and waving her fists at the Slytherin Beaters.

Ten minutes later with the score at 130-50 Harry spotted a glint of gold near the Slytherin hoops and took off after it.

Suddenly both Slytherin Beaters were alongside him mere inches from his broom preparing to swing their bats at him.

Harry used the breaks on his Firebolt causing them to quickly overtake him before hitting each other in the chest with their bats throwing them from their brooms.

"Ha, that's what happens when you beat someone on a Firebolt boys" shouted Lee as cheers and jeers erupted from the Gryffindor students.

Harry charged towards the Snitch which was flying towards the Gryffindor hoops.

As Harry got closer to the snitch his broom jerked backwards.

"YOU CHEATING BASTARD" shouted Lee.

Harry looked behind him.

Draco had grabbed hold of the tail twigs with his hand and was pulling his broom towards Harry.

"Sorry Ferret, not gonna work" shouted Harry.

He removed his right foot from the footrest and kicked Draco's hand.

Draco screamed in pain letting go of Harry's broom holding onto his hand.

Harry surged forwards and closed his hands around the Snitch.

"He's done it, Potter's caught the Snitch, Gryffindor beat a filthy cheating Slytherin side to win the Quidditch Cup, Gryffindor are the champions!" shouted Lee as cheers erupted from all the students except the Slytherins.

Lee jumped up in celebration and hugged Mcgonagall catching her off guard as Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor team flew to the centre of the pitch.

They joined in a big group hug before Katie, Alicia and Angelina each gave him a kiss on the cheek.

They flew towards the teachers tower and landed on it dismounting their brooms.

Mcgonagall handed the Quidditch Cup to Wood before standing next to him.

They all turned in the direction of the stadium and lifted the trophy high into the air.

Shouts of "we are the champions" and "go go Gryffindor" erupted from around the ground.

Harry and the others made their way back down to the pitch followed by Mcgonagall where all of the Gryffindor's came charging onto the pitch picking them all up in the air carrying them.

"Party in the Gryffindor Common Room!" shouted Harry.

The rest of the students cheered as they carried Mcgonagall and the Gryffindor team off the pitch and back up to the castle.

The party was in full swing once they got back to the Common Room. Colin Creevey took a picture of the entire team which Mcgonagall animated and enlarged before pinning it to the wall.

Harry and Katie laughed when they saw that Mcgonagall was so happy about them winning the Cup that she didn't say anything when Joe, Lee and Cormac Mclaggen came back into the common room with bags of food and drinks from Honeydukes having obviously snuck into the village to get the food and drinks for the party.

They went down for dinner in the Great Hall which had been decorated with Gryffindor banners in celebration of their win.

Alex, Susan, Hannah, Dorcas, Penny Haywood, Marietta, Cho and Cedric joined them at the Gryffindor table congratulating them on their win.

Marietta gave him a full blown snog causing the others to grin and laugh slightly.

"Well done, Champ, you won the Cup again" said Marietta in a glowing voice.

Harry smirked.

"Thanks, but I couldn't have done it without the rest of my team" said Harry modestly.

"Cut it out Harry" said Fred dramatically.

"Your making us blush" said George dramatically.

"You won the cup for us" said Fred dramatically with a fake swoon.

"Our star Seeker" said George dramatically with another fake swoon.

Harry laughed.

"Nice one breaking that Troll's nose as well Fred" said Harry.

"My pleasure" said Fred.

The others laughed as they carried on with their dinner before Harry and the rest of the Gryffindors headed back up to Gryffindor Tower to continue the party.

Though she stayed to party with them for most of the night she finally returned to Gryffindor Tower at close to four in the morning and told them to go to bed.


	25. Chapter 25

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

24th April 1994

Alex, Susan, Daphne, Tracey and Blaise made their way into the library to start studying for their end of year exams.

They found an empty table in the corner near the Restricted Section and sat down.

"This years History exam is going to be the death of me, I didn't get even half of what Binns was on about when he was talking about Goblin Rebellions" said Tracey.

Alex pulled a roll of parchment out of his bag and handed it to her.

"Here, take my notes, they've got everything you need to know about Goblin Rebellions" said Alex.

Tracey took them from him.

"Cheers" said Tracey.

"DADA's not that difficult this year at least, Professor Lupin told our class that we have to do some sort of obstacle course" said Daphne.

"He wasn't meant to tell us what it was, but I think he just wanted to give everyone a heads up, not surprised when you see some of the dunderheads in our class" said Blaise.

Alex chuckled.

"Dunderheads, very Snivellus like Blaise" said Alex.

Blaise smirked.

"Yeah well, its the best term for describing Weasel, Ferret and his two cronies" said Blaise.

Alex shrugged his shoulders.

"Point taken" said Alex.

"Anyone know what we have to do for the rest of our exams?" said Susan.

"Nearly all of them are written exams, we don't do practical exams for the core subjects until fifth year" said Daphne.

"Well, that seems easy enough" said Tracey.

"Your not worried about your exams already are you Trace?" said Alex.

Tracey glared at him.

"A little" muttered Tracey.

"Don't be, you've passed all your exams for the last two years" said Blaise.

Tracey sighed.

"Okay, I better get started then" said Tracey unrolling Alex's History notes and reading through them.

Susan pulled her Potions textbook out of her bag and opened it.

"You know, I'm surprised anyone manages to pass their Potions exams with Snape as a teacher, all he does is give a brief explanation about each potion then sets us to work, we always have to study them even further to even have a chance of passing our Potions exam" said Susan flipping through the pages.

"How on earth does that overgrown bat still have a job here, surely enough people must have complained to the Board Of Governors to get him sacked" said Alex.

"I'll give you two guesses but your only gonna need one" said Daphne.

"Dumbledore" groaned Susan.

"No surprises there, Albus everybody deserves a second chance and must be redeemed Dumbledore, Snape is foul enough to be a Death Eater and Dumbledore lets him work with children" said Tracey.

"Who's to say he isn't a Death Eater?" said Alex.

"No one ever connected him to the Death Eaters" said Susan.

"Maybe he's one of those who slipped through the cracks" said Daphne.

"Yeah maybe" said Alex.

They heard Madam Pince tell them to keep their voices down so they went back to studying.

8th May 1994

Harry, Joe and Katie walked out of Mcgonagall's classroom after finishing their Transfiguration exam.

"Thank Merlin, no more exams" said Joe in relief.

"Couldn't agree more" said Harry.

"Well, we've got nothing to do for the rest of the day, so what do we do now?" said Katie.

"Anyone up for going down to the lake, I could do with a bit of relaxation after all those exams?" said Harry.

"Sure why not" said Joe.

"I'm up for that" said Katie.

"Lets ask the others, Cho and Marietta should be getting out of their Herbology exam by now" said Harry.

"Lets get some food from the kitchens, then we'll find the others" said Katie.

The three walked down to the kitchens and got a basket full of food and drink from the House Elves before walking back up to the Great Hall to look for their friends.

They met up with Alex, Susan, Daphne, Astoria, Dorcas, Tracey and Blaise outside the Great Hall.

Harry spotted Cho, Cedric and Marietta sat down in the courtyard and made his way over to them.

A few minutes later the four of them walked back over to the others.

They walked down towards the shore of the lake coming to a halt under a large oak tree on a slight hill.

They sat down on the grass and Katie opened the basket pulling a sandwich out.

Susan leaned back into Alex's chest.

"So who's going to the Quidditch World Cup this summer?" said Susan.

"My Dad got our tickets last week" said Cedric who was sat next to Cho who smiled.

"I was slightly surprised when your Dad got me a ticket" said Cho looking up at him.

"Yeah well, he's excited about meeting you, and when I told him your parents wouldn't able to get tickets he said you could come with us" said Cedric.

"My Dad got offered a private box next to the Ministers box, he's not entirely sure why he got offered it though" said Alex.

"Fudge wants to get in his good graces probably, he holds the Black seat, and he's regent for my seats until I'm 17, that makes him one of the most powerful members of the Wizengamot" said Harry.

"Why now though, Fudge has been using the gold and support of Lucius Malfoy for years, why would he suddenly want Dad's support?" said Dorcas.

"No idea, but I doubt its good" said Alex.

"Anyway, any of you going to the World Cup?" said Cho looking at where Daphne, Astoria, Tracey and Blaise were sat.

"Yeah, Mum and Dad got us a private box, Tracey and Blaise are coming with us as well" said Daphne.

"Great, its gonna be a good final, Bulgaria vs Ireland, quite hard to pick a winner to be honest" said Cedric.

Harry nodded.

"Yeah, and Sirius told me that they've spent the best part of a month finding a suitable location and preparing the stadium for the final" said Harry.

"How did he know about that, I thought he worked in the DMLE" said Marietta looking at Harry.

"Fudge ordered some Auror's to provide security on site, no idea why though, what trouble are they going to run into while setting up the stadium for the Final" said Harry.

Marietta formed an O with her mouth in understanding.

"I heard that some of the foreign Minister's are attending the Final as well, the Irish and Bulgarian Ministers are coming, along with the French and German Ministers" said Astoria.

"Probably, maybe even more as well, the Final is one of the biggest events in the wizard world, people from all over the world will be attending" said Joe.

"Your parents not attending?" said Cedric.

Joe shook his head.

"No, they don't attend big events like this, they've always been very private people, so me and Katie are going with Harry" said Joe.

Cedric nodded.

"Professor Lupin's bringing his family, they've been invited to sit with the German Minister" said Alex.

"Wow, how come?" said Cho.

"He and his family live in Germany, its where his wife invented the Wolfsbane Potion, and that new pregnancy potion that was released a few weeks ago, the one that allows you to choose whether you have a boy or a girl" said Alex.

"Wow, so she's a big thing in Magical Germany" said Marietta.

"Yeah, though the Wolfsbane Potion never reached Magical Britain it was a success all over Europe, and they're already saying that this new pregnancy potion is expected to be a hit worldwide" said Dorcas.

"Wow, no wonder she's been invited to sit with the German Minister" said Marietta.

"Yeah, she told me the German Minister takes a great deal of pride in her work" said Harry.

They spent the rest of the afternoon down by the lake eating their picnic before heading back up to the castle.

15th May 1994

Alex, Susan and Dorcas were sat at the Gryffindor table with Harry, Joe and Katie when the morning owls arrived delivering the morning edition of the Daily Prophet.

Harry unrolled his and growled at the article on the front page as other students gasped upon seeing the article on the front page.

"What is it?" said Dorcas as people started looking at the Staff Table with fear and disbelief in their eyes.

Harry reluctantly handed the newspaper to her and she gasped.

 _WEREWOLF TEACHING AT HOGWARTS_

 _By Rita Skeeter_

 _Dear readers it is my displeasure to inform you that Albus Dumbledore has been allowing a full Werewolf to teach at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry since last September._

 _Remus John Lupin age 36, who holds the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts is in fact a Full Werewolf and has been since he was bitten by known criminal and Werewolf Fenrir Greyback when he was 6 years old._

 _Myself and many others have questioned Albus Dumbledore's teaching appointments for DADA over the last two years beginning with the appointment of suspected fraud Gilderoy Lockheart in September 1992 as well as refusing to hire Mr Lockheart's temporary replacement, Auror John Dawlish (40) on a permanent basis. It was after this that Professor Dumbledore hired Mr Lupin for the same position knowing full well of his status as a dark creature._

 _Knowing all of this I ask you my rabid readers. Do you feel safe allowing your children to be taught by a Werewolf who could attack your children in the blink of an eye._

Dorcas threw the paper down on the table where Katie picked it up and gasped.

Remus had obviously read the paper since he had gone slightly pale.

He stood up and walked over to Dumbledore. He leaned down and whispered something in his ear before walking out of the Great Hall as mutters and whispers were aimed his way.

Unfortunately one particular student chose to voice his opinion rather loudly.

"I can't believe it, we could've been bitten at any point this year" said Ron dumbly.

"Ron, you shouldn't be so quick to judge him, he's been a great teacher, so what if he's a Werewolf" said Hermione.

"So what, Hermione he's a Werewolf, he's a dark creature, that means he's evil" said Ron.

Dorcas snarled and stood up making her way over to stand behind Ron.

"Weasel" snarled Dorcas.

Ron turned around and fixed her with a harsh look.

"What do you want?" said Ron annoyed.

Dorcas punched him in the right eye knocking him onto the table.

"That's for insulting my Godfather you prat, who is a better man than you could ever hope to be" snarled Dorcas before turning around and quickly walking out of the hall as Neville tried to help Ron.

Alex moved to stand up but Harry stopped him.

"Stay here, I'll go to her" said Harry.

Alex nodded before Harry stood up and walked out of the Great Hall.

He ran towards the DADA classroom catching up with her just outside the room.

"Hey, you okay" said Harry softly.

"No… its just not fair, Remus is a great teacher and great man, he didn't deserve to be outed like that" said Dorcas sadly.

Harry wrapped his arms around her pulling her to his chest.

"I know, its not fair, and I've got a pretty good idea who leaked that story to Skeeter" said Harry.

"Snape" snarled Dorcas.

"Yeah, come on, lets go and see Remus" said Harry.

Dorcas nodded.

"Okay" said Dorcas sadly.

Harry led her over to the door and knocked on the door.

A few seconds later the door opened a crack.

Remus looked at them and opened the door.

"Come in" said Remus.

The two walked inside where he led them up to his office.

When they got inside they saw an open trunk with clothes levitating themselves into the trunk.

"Your leaving then" said Dorcas sadly.

Remus nodded.

"Yes, this time tomorrow, the owls will start arriving, people won't want their children being taught by me" said Remus in resignation.

"But its not fair" said Dorcas.

Remus smiled at her.

"I know, but what's done is done, there's nothing I can do about it" said Remus.

Dorcas was trying to hold back her tears.

She detached herself from Harry and wrapped her arms around Remus.

"But what about us, your just going back to Germany, you came back into our lives and now your leaving again" said Dorcas.

Remus wrapped his arms around her.

"Sweetheart, I'm not leaving forever, I was planning to surprise you but me and Natalya have been discussing moving to Britain, she's planning to sell her shop over the summer and set up a new shop over here, we both want to be near you guys, James does as well" said Remus.

Dorcas looked up at him.

"Your, your moving back here, so I'll be able to see you more often" said Dorcas.

"Yes, we've been thinking about it for a few months now" said Remus as the last of his clothes landed in the trunk.

He detached himself from Dorcas and closed his trunk before placing it on the floor.

Remus turned to Harry and wrapped him in a one armed hug.

"You've grown up so much from the little 2 year old I used to hold in one hand, you really have the best of both your parents in you Harry" said Remus.

Harry smiled.

"Thanks Remus" said Harry.

Remus smiled and let go of him as Dumbledore appeared in the doorway followed by Alex, Susan, Joe, Katie, Daphne, Astoria, Tracey and Blaise.

"Your carriage is waiting in the courtyard Remus" said Dumbledore.

"Thank you Albus" said Remus taking hold of the handle on his trunk.

He bid one last farewell to two and the others before walking past Dumbledore down the stairs.

Harry turned to Dumbledore.

"So Professor, what are you going to do about Snape?" said Harry.

"Professor Snape Harry, and I'm not quite sure I know what you are on about" said Dumbledore in his grandfather voice.

Harry scoffed.

"Don't pretend you don't know, it was obvious that Snape was the one who told Skeeter about Remus" said Harry.

"Professor Snape did nothing of the sort, so I advise you drop these childish accusations" said Dumbledore before turning around and leaving.

Harry and Dorcas walked over to Alex and the others who were looking displeased and slightly angry at Dumbledore who left the room.

"Senile old fool" muttered Dorcas.

Alex wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Come on, lets go" said Alex.

They left the room and walked back down towards the Great Hall.

Harry noticed Marietta sat in the courtyard writing a letter on one of the benches.

He said goodbye to the others and made his way over to her.

She turned to face him and gave him a quick kiss as he sat down next to her.

"Can you believe that?" said Marietta haughtily.

"Believe what?" said Harry.

"You know, believe that Professor Lupin is a Werewolf, that Dumbledore allowed a Werewolf to teach children" said Marietta.

"So" said Harry.

"What do you mean so, he's a Werewolf, he shouldn't be allowed around children" said Marietta.

Harry looked slightly shocked.

"What is your problem Marietta?" said Harry slightly angrily.

"My problem, can't you see it, why should a Werewolf be allowed to teach children, our laws prohibit them from getting jobs, if you had kids would you want him teaching them?" said Marietta.

"Yes I would" said Harry angrily.

Marietta looked at him in disbelief.

"You knew didn't you, you knew he was a Werewolf" said Marietta.

"Of course I knew, I've known for years, and its never bothered me, you just found out he is a Werewolf and your acting like its the end of the world" said Harry.

"Can you blame me, he's a Werewolf, Werewolves are dark creatures" said Marietta.

Harry stood up.

"Where are you going?" said Marietta in slight shock.

"Away from you, go spread that bigoted shit somewhere else Marietta" snarled Harry.

Marietta just looked shocked as Harry stormed back inside the castle.

He walked back up to Gryffindor Tower dropping himself onto a chair next to Joe and Katie.

"What happened to you?" said Joe.

"Bloody Marietta" said Harry.

Joe and Katie looked between them.

"What about her?" said Katie.

Harry told them about his and Marietta's conversation which shocked the pair of them.

21st May 1994

Harry, Joe and Katie were sat in a compartment with the Weasley Twins and Lee playing a few games of exploding snap.

Suddenly a knock on the compartment door caught their attention.

Marietta was stood outside the door trying to make eye contact with Harry. She had a remorseful look on her face.

Harry sighed and stood up opening the door.

"Can we talk… in private?" said Marietta.

Harry thought about it for a few moments before nodding.

"Okay" said Harry.

He turned to look at the others.

"I'll be back in a bit" said Harry.

He walked out of the compartment shutting the door.

The two stood opposite each other just next to the compartment door.

"Okay, what do you want to talk about?" said Harry.

Marietta looked at her feet before looking back at him.

"Harry… I'm sorry for what I said the other day, I was out of line" said Marietta.

Harry locked eyes with her.

"Yes you were, why would you say things like that though, Professor Lupin was a great teacher, and a good man" said Harry.

"Harry, I don't have anything against him, its just I've had that bigoted stuff forced down my throat by my parents for years, I was just thinking of what they would say when I was talking to you" said Marietta regretfully.

"So why did you say it then?" said Harry.

"Harry, I've heard that stuff since I was very young, but I don't want to believe it, I just find it hard to ignore all of it having heard it for so long" said Marietta.

"So when you said all that stuff, you didn't mean any of it, you were just repeating what your parents told you?" said Harry sceptically.

Marietta nodded.

"Yes, Harry believe me, I didn't mean any of it, I'm sorry… and I miss you, I miss us" said Marietta sadly taking his hand.

Harry looked at her and smiled slightly.

"I know, I miss you too, but if we're going to be together, then this bigoted shit stops right now, understand" said Harry.

Marietta nodded.

"Okay" said Marietta.

Harry smiled.

"But I think we should take a step back, start off slow, what you did really shook my trust in you, so lets just start from the beginning again, okay" said Harry.

Marietta looked shocked but nodded.

"I guess I can understand your reasons, I gave you enough of them, so yeah, I think it would be best if we started again" said Marietta.

She leaned up and kissed him.

"I'll see you later okay" said Marietta.

She turned to walk back to her compartment.

"Hold up" said Harry.

She turned back to him.

"I will be meeting Professor Lupin on the platform, you owe him an apology as well" said Harry.

"Okay" said Marietta.

She turned and walked back to her compartment.

Harry walked back inside the compartment.

"You two got back together?" said Katie sounding surprised.

"Yeah, she explained a few things and we've agreed to start over" said Harry.

"Explained things" said Joe.

"Yeah" said Harry sitting down.

They didn't question him about Marietta for the rest of the journey back to Kings Cross.

When they arrived Harry met Marietta on the platform where the two walked over to where Remus, Natalya and James were stood waiting for them with Sirius and Marlene.

Marietta walked over to Remus and looked at him.

"Professor Lupin, I'm sorry, I said some horrible things about you on the day you left" said Marietta.

Remus looked slightly confused.

"Apology accepted" said Remus sceptically.

Marietta smiled and turned back to Harry.

"See you in a few weeks Harry" said Marietta.

She kissed him before walking back over to her parents who looked rather angry having witnessed her talking to Remus.

Alex looked at him.

"When did you two get back together?" said Alex in disbelief.

"Earlier on, why?" said Harry.

"Why would you get back with her, after what she said about Remus" said Alex.

"She apologised, and explained herself, so we decided to give it another go" said Harry.

"Just like that" said Alex.

"Yeah, just like that" said Harry sounding frustrated.

"Boys, cut it out" said Marlene.

"Fine" said Alex.

Harry nodded.

"Lets go" said Harry pushing his trolley towards the exit.

They followed Harry off of the platform and back through the barrier.

They all returned to Grimmauld Place where they threw a small going away party for the Lupins who were leaving the next day.

"We would stay longer but I've got the summer rush to prepare for, got dozens of orders to complete in the next few weeks" said Natalya as she led James into the fireplace.

The three were flooing to the Ministry so they could take an international portkey back to Germany.

"We'll be back a few days before the World Cup, the summer rush should be over by then" said Remus.

The three said goodbye to them before flooing to the Ministry.


	26. Chapter 26

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

12th July 1994

Harry yawned as they made their way downstairs dressed in a pair of jeans and a dark red shirt.

He saw Alex, Susan, Dorcas, Marietta and Katie sat around the table eating bacon sandwiches from a large plate and drinking Butterbeer.

"Morning" yawned Harry as he went to sit down next to Marietta.

"Why do we have to leave so early?" said Joe as he sat down next to Katie and picked up a cup and the pitcher of Butterbeer.

"Because I've been asked to guard the French Minister Jacques Delacour" said Sirius who walked into the room dressed in his black Auror robes.

"Why would you need to do that?" said Dorcas.

"Amelia asked me to, Jacques Delacour is a personal friend of hers and he asked for some security, he and his family be sitting with us for the match as well" said Sirius.

Marlene and Amelia walked into the room looking a lot less tired than the others.

Marlene sighed.

"Remember me telling all of you to have an early night, maybe then you wouldn't be so tired" said Marlene.

"We did, but its half 6 in the morning, still much too early to be getting up" said Harry yawning slightly.

"Then next time you ought to go to bed earlier, instead of leaving the house at ten and sneaking off to Club Magic until after midnight" said Marlene sternly.

Harry's face flushed with embarrassment along with Alex's, Susan's, Joe's, Katie's and Marietta's.

"Yeah, it wasn't too difficult to work out where you all went, are you all ready to go?" said Sirius smirking.

"Yeah, all of our bags are upstairs" said Alex.

Sirius picked up a bacon sandwich from the plate.

"You better go and get them after you finish your breakfast, our Portkey's leave in 20 minutes" said Sirius.

"Okay" said Harry.

Once they finished their breakfast they went back upstairs to get their bags.

At 6.49am Sirius got an old boot and old newspaper out of the chest in the sitting room.

He handed the boot to Amelia and held out the Newspaper.

Harry, Alex, Joe and Marietta grabbed hold of the newspaper while Marlene, Susan, Dorcas and Katie grabbed hold of the boot.

They all felt a jerk behind their naval before reappearing on the edge of a forest.

"Ten to seven from London" said a middle aged Wizard dressed in a tweed suit holding a pocket watch.

He took the boot and newspaper from Sirius and Amelia and threw them into a pile of used Portkey's behind him.

"Morning Basil, which campsite are we on?" said Amelia.

"One moment Madam Bones, Parkins, find Madam Bones's campsite" said Basil.

Parkins was a similar age to Basil who was wearing a kilt and a poncho holding a sheet of parchment.

"Bones, Bones, ah yes, your campsite is a quarter mile walk that way, first field you come to, site managers Mr Roberts, Black your at the same campsite" said Parkins nodding his head in the direction of a deserted moor alongside the forest covered in a light mist.

"Thank you, come on then" said Sirius.

They set off walking in the direction of their campsite.

As they got closer to their campsite they could make out the shapes of hundreds of tents with varying degrees of extravagance.

They reached a small stone cottage just outside the edge of their campsite after 15 minutes. A muggle man in his late 30's was stood outside looking at the tents in confusion and interest.

"Hello, are you Mr Roberts?" said Marlene walking up to the Muggle who started looking at Sirius's robes in confusion.

"I am, names" said Mr Roberts.

"Black and Bones, one tent each, booked last week" said Marlene.

"Aye" said Mr Roberts looking at a list nailed to his door.

"Got some space for you in the middle of the field, just the one night?" continued Mr Roberts.

"Yes" said Marlene.

"That'll be twenty pounds each" said Mr Roberts.

Marlene pulled two £20 notes out of her pockets and handed them to Mr Roberts.

"Thank you" said Mr Roberts.

Marlene nodded and walked back to the others.

"Lets go, we need to set our tents up before you have to meet Minister Delacour" said Marlene looking at Sirius who nodded.

"I have to be at his tent by ten" said Sirius as they walked into the campsite.

They passed multiple tents where people were emerging from the tents preparing breakfast and setting off into the campsite.

It was clear that the Witches and Wizards in the campsite certainly enjoyed showing off as they walked past tents resembling castles and manor houses before coming to a halt at an empty space in the middle of the field large enough for three tents with three rickety wooden signs.

"Black", "Bones" and "Tonks"

"We're here, you guys can explore the camp when we've set up and unpacked" said Amelia.

They spent the next 20 minutes setting two white shabby looking tents.

"Okay, girls, your with Amelia, boys with us" said Marlene.

Harry, Alex, and Joe followed Marlene and Sirius inside their tent while Susan, Katie, Dorcas and Marietta followed Amelia into the other tent.

The tent was enormous on the inside roughly the size of a bungalow complete with a kitchen, dining room, small bathroom and sitting room with leather settee's, leather sitting room chairs, an eight seat dining room table and chairs.

"Boys, stop standing around like statues and go unpack" said Marlene jokingly.

Harry, Joe and Alex walked over to the triple bunk bed near the bathroom and put their rucksacks down on their beds.

They walked back out of the tent and headed to the girls tent walking inside.

The tent was identical to theirs but with different coloured furniture.

"You guys up for looking around the campsite" said Joe.

"Yeah" said Katie.

"I told Cho I'd meet her when we got here" said Marietta.

"Daphne and the others aren't far from here, they came down yesterday" said Susan.

"How about you Alex and Dorcas go and meet them, we'll go and meet Cho and the others and meet up with you guys later on" said Joe.

"Alright, why don't you meet us back here in an hour, Aunt Andi and Uncle Ted should have arrived by then" said Dorcas.

"Alright, we'll see you guys then" said Katie.

Harry, Joe, Katie and Marietta left the tent and set off into the campsite.

Alex, Susan and Dorcas set off in the opposite direction looking for the Greengrass tent to meet Daphne and the others.

Alex watched Harry and Marietta walk off with Marietta clinging onto Harry's arm.

"I don't get it" said Alex.

"Get what?" said Dorcas.

"Harry… he told us all about his argument with Marietta, about how she called Uncle Remus a dark creature and dangerous, yet one conversation with her and suddenly their back together" said Alex.

"You know, for once I actually agree with you about him and her, I still don't get why he took her back after what she said" said Susan.

"Alex, Susan, over here" shouted the voice of Tracey.

They turned to see Daphne, Astoria, Tracey and Blaise walking towards them.

Alex focused on Tracey and Blaise and looked slightly surprised.

The two were holding hands.

Tracey noticed him looking.

"Two weeks" said Tracey.

"You never told us" said Susan.

"We wanted to surprise you, what were you guys on about anyway, you didn't look that happy talking about it" said Blaise giving Tracey a kiss.

"We were talking about Harry and Marietta" said Dorcas.

"Ah" said Daphne.

"Yeah, about how we couldn't believe that he took her back after what happened with Remus" said Susan.

"Yeah well I wouldn't worry about those two, its quite obvious that its not going to last" said Daphne loftily.

Dorcas thought she saw Astoria perk up at this out of the corner of her eye.

"How'd you work that out?" said Alex.

Daphne chuckled as they started walking back to the Black's tent.

"Come on, its obvious, how many times have you seen those two arguing since they've been together, or how many times have you seen Marietta annoyed at him for some reason or another, I even saw the pair arguing in the middle of Diagon Alley last week" said Daphne.

Alex looked slightly shocked.

"I never noticed any of that, apart from one time on Valentines Day in Madam Puddifoots" said Alex.

"That's because your not nearly as perceptive and inquisitive as me Black, you want my opinion, that relationship or whatever you choose to call it will be over by Christmas, or Halloween probably" said Daphne.

Dorcas noticed Astoria smile with a sense of slight relief.

"Interesting" thought Dorcas.

"To be honest, I hope so" said Alex.

They kept talking as they walked back to the Black's tent.

As they were walking back into the tent Dorcas pulled Astoria aside.

"Hey Tori, can I have a word?" said Dorcas.

"Sure, what about?" said Astoria.

"About Harry" said Dorcas.

Astoria looked at her.

"What about him?" said Astoria.

"I think you know" said Dorcas smiling at her.

Astoria's cheeks went slightly pink.

"Is it that obvious?" said Astoria nervously.

"Its not exactly subtle if that's what you mean" said Dorcas.

Astoria looked at the ground slightly embarrassed.

"Alright, yes, I like him, there I said it" said Astoria blushing.

Dorcas placed her hand on Astoria's shoulder.

"So why don't you tell him then?" said Dorcas.

Astoria looked up and locked eyes with her.

"Are you kidding, I can't do that, he's with Marietta, besides why would he like me that way, I'm 2 years younger than him, and he's one of the most popular guys in school, he could have his pick of any girl, why would he even look my way?" said Astoria sadly.

"Because unlike all those other girls, you've got one thing they haven't got" said Dorcas.

"Yeah, what's that" said Astoria.

"You know him, the real Harry, you actually like him for who he is, Harry's not stupid Tori, he knows what most of those girls who eye him want him for, and he doesn't like it" said Dorcas.

Astoria nodded.

Dorcas hugged her.

"So… what is it about Harry that you like?" said Dorcas with a smile as she released Astoria.

Astoria smiled and blushed slightly.

"He's just perfect, you know, a proper gentleman and a great person, he makes time for anyone if they come to him with a problem, he's such a sweet guy, but like I said, why would he even like me like that" said Astoria.

Dorcas smiled sadly.

"Hey, don't give up hope with Harry, you never know what might happen" said Dorcas.

Astoria smiled.

"Okay, come on lets go back inside" said Astoria.

The two walked back into the tent where Alex, Susan, Daphne, Tracey and Blaise were sat on the living room furniture with Sirius, Marlene and Amelia.

They sat down next to them talking for about half an hour before voices from the entrance to their tent caught their attention.

"Hello" said Andromeda who walked into the tent with Ted.

Dorcas jumped up and ran over to them giving them a hug each.

Sirius and Marlene followed suit.

"Where's Dora?" said Marlene.

Andromeda rolled her eyes.

"In bed, she's apparating here at midday" said Andromeda.

"She's still in bed, what time did she get back, she was still partying hard when we left her last night" said Alex walking over to them.

He gave Andromeda a hug and a handshake to Ted.

"What do you mean left her, I thought you all left together" said Marlene.

Alex shook his head.

"Nah, we left shortly after midnight, she refused to come with us, when she kept refusing we had to leave without her" said Alex.

"Why am I not surprised?" said Andromeda.

"Because Nymphadora's got a wild side to her" said Ted chuckling.

"Which we both know she got from you" said Andromeda locking eyes with Ted.

"Ease up Dromeda, its only Club Magic, at least she doesn't frequent Muggle Clubs like we did at her age" said Ted wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her to him.

Andromeda relaxed.

"True, I'm glad she didn't make the same choices we made" said Andromeda.

Sirius snorted.

"Going to Muggle clubs wasn't a mistake, I rather enjoyed them" said Sirius smirking.

Marlene smacked him in the chest.

"I don't need you to remind everyone what happened the last time we went to a Muggle club" said Marlene sounding slightly annoyed.

Sirius winced.

"What… it wasn't that bad" said Sirius.

Marlene glared at him.

"It wasn't that bad… I got felt up by three strangers before one threw up on me and passed out, while you just stood there and laughed" said Marlene.

Alex had to stifle his laughter.

"What it was funny, besides it was Lily's idea to go to Muggle clubs" said Sirius chuckling.

"Yes, and after that we never went to Muggle clubs again, with good reason" said Marlene.

Sirius laughed.

"Nymphadora too tired to get out of bed" said the voice of Harry.

He walked into the tent with Joe, Katie, Marietta, Cho and Cedric.

"Are you surprised?" said Ted laughing slightly.

"No, since she was enjoying herself so much last night, flirting with the Waiter amongst other things" said Harry laughing.

"She better not have been buying you guys Firewhiskey again" said Marlene.

Harry froze.

"Er, no she didn't" said Harry unconvincing.

"Harry" said Marlene sternly.

"Alright, it was only one shot, no more" said Harry.

Marlene gave him a very stern stare.

"Ah leave him be Marls, like he said it was only one shot, I seem to recall you having much more than that one night in our fifth year, and what a night that was" said Sirius laughing slightly.

Harry and the others sat down at the table near the others as Marlene turned to face Sirius sending him a deathly glare.

"And I told you never to mention that night again, or you'll be sleeping outside tonight" said Marlene.

Sirius gulped.

"Okay, never mind" said Sirius.

"Wasn't that the story James tried to talk about in his best man speech at your wedding, the one that Lily made him keep quiet about" said Andromeda with a small smirk on her face.

"Yes, and the mutt here agreed never to mention it to anyone again" hissed Marlene.

The others laughed.

Sirius wrapped his arm around Marlene's waist and pulled her into his side.

"Come on Marls, I rather enjoyed that night, your performance was amazing" said Sirius jokingly.

"Come on Marlene, what is this story, it can't be that bad" said Ted smirking.

Marlene sighed.

"Fine, I gave the Mutt a lap dance okay, in my underwear" said Marlene quietly.

Andromeda and Ted laughed.

"Really that was it, that's not that embarrassing" said Andromeda.

"No it wasn't, but then James decided to put an extremely large moving picture of me doing said lap dance on the wall of the Gryffindor common room, Sirius, why don't you tell them exactly who saw that picture" said Marlene.

Sirius grumbled.

"Professor Mcgonagall" said Sirius.

"Correct, I ended up with 3 weeks of detention and lost a record 75 points, and Mcgonagall couldn't look me in the eye for a month" said Marlene in annoyance.

"Hey, I ended up in detention as well, Professor Mcgonagall said I took advantage of you in your… state" said Sirius.

Ted and Andromeda laughed at the pair getting the attention of the others.

At half past nine Sirius, Marlene and Amelia set off walking to meet Jacques Delacour accompanied by Harry, Alex, Susan, Dorcas, Joe, Katie and Marietta while the others headed back to their own tents.

They walked into the third campsite reserved for the Minister and other important Government attendees.

They made their way through the campsite greeting various members of the Ministry including Barty Crouch, Ludo Bagman who was dressed in his old worn out Wimbourne Wasps robes, and Tiberius Ogden before coming to a halt outside a large white castle shaped tent decorated with the French flag.

They made their way inside and saw Jacgues, Appolline, Fleur and Gabrielle sat drinking and talking on white chairs and a settee in a makeshift sitting room.

"Lady Bones" said Jacques standing up and making his way over to her.

"Jacques, I told you to call me Amelia" said Amelia happily as he engulfed her in a hug.

Appolline made her way over to them and greeted them.

"Amelia, its lovely to see you again, girls, come here and say hello to our guests" said Appolline.

Fleur and Gabrielle stood up and walked towards them.

"Its lovely to see you as well Appolline, you remember Alex don't you, Susan's betrothed" said Amelia.

Alex stepped forwards.

"Its good to see you again Lady Delacour" said Alex kissing her knuckles before shaking Jacques hand.

"Good to see you again lad" said Jacques.

"And you too Minister" said Alex.

He turned to Fleur and Gabrielle and smirked upon seeing what Fleur was doing.

Fleur was eyeing Harry with interest.

He heard a scowl from behind him.

Harry sighed at Marietta's reaction.

"Chill out Marietta" whispered Harry.

Marietta looked at him as Fleur walked over to Harry.

Harry smiled at her.

"I'm Harry Potter, what is your name Miss" said Harry kindly as he felt a soft calming presence at the back of his mind.

He pushed it aside as Fleur sent a flirty smile at him.

"Fleur Delacour, a pleasure to meet you Mr Potter" said Fleur in a sweet voice.

"A pleasure indeed, and who is this young lady" said Harry looking at Gabrielle who smiled at him with slightly pink cheeks.

"This is my sister, Gabrielle" said Fleur.

Harry smiled at Gabrielle.

"Nice to meet you Gabrielle" said Harry smiling at her.

Gabrielle smiled at him.

"And you too" said Gabrielle nervously.

Sirius snickered.

"Chick Magnet" coughed Sirius causing Marlene to slap his arm.

Marietta grabbed hold of Harry's hand causing him to look at her.

She leaned up and kissed him.

Alex and Susan introduced the others to the Delacours before joining them for a cup of tea.

After staying for an hour and a half they walked back to their own campsite except for Sirius and Marlene who stayed with the Delacours as Sirius was assigned to be their personal guard.

When they got back to their tent they saw a still tired Dora pouring a cup of coffee for herself.

Alex walked up to her.

"Have a good night with that Waiter" said Alex teasingly.

Dora glared at him.

"I'll take that as a no" said Alex walking back to Susan.

Suddenly he tripped and fell face first onto the carpet.

The others laughed as they saw Dora pointing her wand at him and smirking.

Alex chuckled and stood up.

"By the way, Mum's not happy with you" said Alex.

"Oh, and why is that?" said Dora.

"For buying us Firewhiskey… again" said Alex.

"Your just lucky they let you in, your not 14 for another two and a half weeks" said Dora.

"What can I say, it must be my boyish good looks" said Alex jokingly.

"No that's Harry who got the looks" said Dora jokingly.

Harry and the others laughed.

"Oh Nymphie, I had no idea you thought I was so good looking" said Harry.

Dora opened her mouth to retaliate before going red with embarrassment.

"I didn't mean-" said Dora.

"Its okay Nymphadora, Harry got his Dad's looks, who was one of the best looking guys in his year at school, you shouldn't be embarrassed at finding him good looking" said Andromeda smirking.

Dora opened and closed her mouth before sitting down.

Harry chuckled and walked over to her placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Nymphie, its okay that you think I'm good looking, quite a few people do" said Harry teasingly.

"Shut up" muttered Dora.

Harry leaned down to her ear.

"If it makes you feel any better, I think your beautiful dear cousin" whispered Harry.

Dora smirked.

"You think I'm beautiful, so tell me, am I the most beautiful girl you've ever laid eyes on?" said Dora.

Harry laughed.

"You'll forgive me for not answering that" said Harry.

He turned and walked back to Marietta.

Marlene and Amelia returned later in the afternoon telling them that Sirius was going to meet them in their private box later that night.

 _Later that night…_

They left their campsite and walked through the woods towards the stadium.

Once they exited the woods they gasped in surprise.

The stadium stretched down the hill and was easily as big as Hogwarts. The entire stadium appeared to be made out of silver metal and glass.

They presented their tickets to the Witch at the entrance leading to the private boxes and entered the stadium.

Marlene and Amelia led them up hundreds of stairs towards their private box in the enormous stadium.

"Blimey, how far up are we?" said Dora in shock who was sporting an Ireland scarf.

"Well put it this way" drawled a voice from below them.

Lucius, Narcissa and Draco were stood on the platform below them.

"If it rains, you'll be the first to know" drawled Lucius causing Draco to laugh.

"We've got seats in the Minister's box, by personal invitation of the Minister himself" boasted Draco.

"Stop boasting Draco" said Narcissa sounding annoyed.

Draco glared at her before falling forwards to the floor shouting in pain.

Harry smirked when he saw Dora put her wand away.

"Good one Nymphie" mouthed Harry who like Dora was sporting an Ireland scarf.

She smirked.

"Watch your step Ferret, its a long way down" said Alex causing some of the others to snicker.

Draco got to his feet angrily.

"I think it would be best if you kept walking Lord Malfoy" said Amelia sternly.

Lucius snarled and kept walking followed by Narcissa and Draco.

They carried on walking up the steps before coming to a halt at a large booth with multiple black chairs and a refilling bar at the back of the booth.

Sirius was stood there with the Delacours. To their delight they were also in the company of three familiar faces dressed in fancy robes and Bulgarian scarves and hats.

"Uncle Remus, Aunt Nat" said Alex making his way over to them.

The two gave him a hug each before James wrapped his arms around Alex's waist.

"Hey little guy, you excited" said Alex ruffling his hair.

James nodded.

"Yeah, I can't believe the Minister man invited us to sit with him" said James as Remus and Natalya chuckled.

"He means Minister Lahm" said Natalya.

The others made their way into the box and greeted the Lupins.

"Please, help yourselves at the bar, have anything you want" said Appolline.

Harry, Alex, Joe and Dora walked over to the bar.

"No Firewhiskey boys" said Marlene.

"Come on Marls, let them have some, its the World Cup Final, it might be years before they can attend another" said Sirius.

Marlene sighed before nodding.

"Okay, but don't have too much okay" said Marlene.

"Hey guys" said the voice of Tracey from the doorway.

Daphne, Astoria, Tracey and Blaise walked inside.

Sirius told Jacques who the four were causing him to nod.

"Hey come here guys" said Harry.

Blaise and Daphne walked over to them as Harry started pouring shots of Firewhiskey.

"We've got the booth next to this one" said Daphne.

"Come on, one shot of Firewhiskey each" said Alex.

Blaise smirked and signalled for Susan, Katie, Tracey, Astoria and Dorcas to join them.

"Ah, none for you Missy" said Marlene looking at Dorcas.

Dorcas turned to face Marlene but nodded after Marlene gave her a stern look.

"Give her some Butterbeer Harry" said Marlene.

Harry nodded and poured some Butterbeer from his bottle into a shot glass and handed it to her.

He and Alex handed the others a shot of Firewhiskey each before raising them.

"Cheers" said Alex.

"Cheers" they all chorused.

They downed their shots of Firewhiskey and placed their glasses on the bar.

They all grabbed bottles of Butterbeer and stood around drinking them before Lucille turned up to take Daphne and the others back to their booth. Remus, Natalya and James walked back to the German Minister's booth a few minutes after this promising to come to their tent after the match.

"You guys might want to sit down, the opening ceremony is about to begin" said Sirius.

Harry and Joe grabbed a few extra bottles of Butterbeer before sitting down in their seats.

Harry handed one of the Butterbeers to Marietta who leaned into his shoulder.

They looked out at the pitch to see the Irish and Bulgarian delegations making their way onto the pitch side by side.

They heard Ludo Bagman introducing important members of the delegations as well as the match referee.

"Let us see what the Bulgarians have bought with them, ah… Veela" said Jacques leaning forwards.

They looked down at the pitch to see several glowing blonde haired women walking onto the pitch doing some sort of dance.

"Woah" said Blaise.

After the Veela finished their dance leprechauns made their way onto the pitch throwing galleons from little sacks that they were carrying into the stands.

Once the delegations made their way off of the pitch Ludo Bagman introduced the teams with the enormous scoreboard writing down each players name before cleaning itself and writing the next players name.

The match ended with Ireland winning 170-160 despite Bulgarian seeker Viktor Krum catching the Snitch.

After the match Harry and the others left the stadium heading back to their tents where Jacques dismissed Sirius saying he wasn't needed any more.

A few minutes after they got back Remus, Natalya and James arrived at their tent.

However events took a sharp turn less than an hour later.

Several bangs and explosions could be heard from outside the tent.

"Probably just the Irish" said Alex as Sirius went outside the tent to have a look.

He rushed back into the tent a few seconds later.

"Its not the Irish, we need to get out of here, now" said Sirius.

"What's going on" said Harry as Sirius ushered them out of the tent.

"Get into the woods and stick together" said Amelia with a very serious tone.

A large section of the campsite near the entrance was engulfed in smoke and flames.

"Harry, Joe, James and Dorcas are your responsibility, get everyone to the woods" said Marlene.

They could see a small group of figures in hooded black cloaks and masks walking in formation firing spells at the tents and other people.

"Death Eaters" said Remus in shock.

Katie picked up James who was screaming and crying with fear while Joe took Dorcas's hand.

"Come on lets go" shouted Joe.

They joined the running crowd while Sirius, Marlene, Amelia, Remus, Natalya, Andromeda, Ted and Dora ran off to fight the figures.

"Harry come on!" shouted Marietta in panic.

Harry knew he was falling behind.

"Keep going I'll catch up to you at the woods!" shouted Harry.

He ran alongside the crowd in an effort to catch up with the others.

Suddenly he felt someone crash into his side knocking him into one of the tents.

He groaned in discomfort before slowly picking himself up and scanning the front of the crowd in search of his friends.

"They must be too far ahead" thought Harry summoning his wand to his hand..

The crowd vanished after around 30 seconds.

"Dammit, I hope the others are okay" said Harry.

He started walking in the same direction the crowd went with his eyes constantly shifting around the environment checking for any threats.

A few minutes later he heard a scream coming from his left.

He immediately turned and ran towards where the scream came from.

After moving in between the burning tents he came to a halt.

Daphne and Astoria were cornered between a tent and two of the Death Eater's with their wands at their feet. The Death Eater's had their wands pointed at them while they were clutching each other tightly in fear.

"Damn that blonde bitch put up a bit of a fight, I'm gonna enjoy this" snarled one of the male Death Eaters.

"You ain't the only one, blondies all mine" said the other male Death Eater.

"Get away from us" screamed Astoria causing the Death Eaters to laugh.

"Your not getting away that easily bitch" snarled the first Death Eater.

Harry saw red and pointed his wand at the Death Eater.

"Incenderous!" shouted Harry.

A long flaming whip erupted from his wand and shot towards the Death Eater.

The two Death Eater's turned around pointing their wands at him.

The whip wrapped around the Death Eater's neck before Harry pulled his wand backwards pulling the Death Eater to the floor before releasing him as smoke rose up from his neck.

The other Death Eater started rapidly sending silent spells at Harry who cast a shield charm to protect himself.

Harry started to send a variety of spells including Bombarda and Reducto curses at the Death Eater.

Daphne picked up her wand from the floor and joined Harry firing stunners at the Death Eater while Astoria hid behind her.

Suddenly stunners flew past Harry from behind him.

The Death Eater disapparated before Harry turned around to see Sirius, Marlene, Amelia, Remus, Cyrus, Rufus Scrimgeour and two other Auror's running towards them with their wands raised.

"Harry, Daphne, Astoria are you alright?" said Amelia.

Sirius, Marlene and Remus embraced Harry while Cyrus ran over to his daughters embracing them.

Rufus Scrimgeour and Amelia walked over to the downed Death Eater and turned him onto his back.

Amelia removed his mask to reveal a man in his early 50's with greasy brown hair and burn marks running up from his neck to his chin.

"That's Pastel Parkinson" said Amelia.

"He's dead Madam Bones" said Rufus Scrimgeour.

Harry went pale and collapsed to his knees.

"I killed him" said Harry in a hoarse voice.

"You did this" said one of the male Auror's making his way over to Harry.

Marlene and Remus stepped in front of Harry while Sirius stepped in front of the Auror.

"That's enough Savage" said Sirius.

Auror Savage stopped and looked at Harry who was looking down at the ground in shock before nodding and leaving.

Daphne and Astoria let go of Cyrus and ran over to Harry wrapping him tightly in a hug.

After a few moments Sirius and Marlene helped Harry to his feet.

"Come on let's get back to the tent, tNatalya and the others should be back with the kids by now" said Marlene.

Sirius, Marlene and Cyrus walked the kids back to the tent.

As they were walking back to the tent they saw a jet of green light shoot up into the sky before it exploded into a ghostly white green skull with a snake emerging from its mouth.

"The Dark Mark" said Marlene in shock.

"Where did that come from?" said Sirius.

"As much as I want to find out, we have more important things to deal with, lets get these three back to the tent first" said Cyrus.

Sirius's nodded as they continued on towards the tent.

They arrived a few minutes later.

Alex, Susan, Dorcas, Joe, Katie, Marietta, Blaise, Tracey, Natalya, James, Andromeda, Ted, Dora and Lucille were sat on the chairs looking at them.

"Thank god your all safe" said Marlene.

Sirius guided the slightly shaking Harry over to the settee and sat him down.

Marietta rushed over to him and sat down next to him grasping his hands.

"What happened to Harry?" said Dora striding over to them.

Sirius pulled her to him.

"He just killed one of the Death Eater's, he's pretty shaken up about it" whispered Sirius.

Dora paled before sitting down next to Harry and wrapping her arm around his shoulders.

Sirius left Harry and took the others into one of the other rooms to explain everything to them.

Harry choked.

"I have to see her at school" said Harry hoarsely.

"Who?" said Marietta.

"Pansy Parkinson, how can I even look her in the eye after I just killed her Father" said Harry.

"Her Father was a bastard, I saw what he was like at the parties I had to attend with my parents, I doubt she cared about him very much" said Marietta.

"That doesn't matter, he was still her Father, and I killed him" said Harry.

Daphne and Astoria walked over to them causing them to look up.

Dora and Marietta moved aside.

Daphne dropped to her knees in front of Harry and took his hand.

"Thank you Harry, I know killing that monster hurt you, but you saved me and Tori, I don't even want to think about what would've happened if you didn't show up" said Daphne.

She leaned forward and kissed his cheek before standing up.

Harry managed a small appreciative smile before it quickly faded.

Astoria wiped the tears from her eyes before wrapping him in a tight hug.

"Thank you Harry, you saved us, you may have killed that man, but you're a hero, you're my hero" said Astoria.

Like Daphne she kissed him on the cheek before sitting down next to him keeping her arms wrapped tightly around him.

Harry slowly placed his left arm on her shoulder as Cyrus made his way over to them with a solemn smile on his face.

"You saved my daughter's Harry, that is a debt I can never repay, thank you" said Cyrus.

Harry nodded sadly.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up about it, Pastel Parkinson was a cruel manipulative Death Eater, he got what was coming to him, he was one of the Death Eater's who bribed his way out of Azkaban last time" said Cyrus.

"Thank you Lord Greengrass" said Harry.

Cyrus nodded and left them.

Amelia made her way over to him and dropped to her knees in front of him.

"That was very brave Harry, very brave to take on two Death Eaters like that" said Amelia taking his hands.

Harry nodded.

"Hey, don't worry about what happened to Parkinson, no one else but us will know about it, I will have the records sealed since you are underage, you killed him in self defence Harry, you won't get into any trouble for it" said Amelia.

Harry choked.

"Thank you" said Harry hoarsely.

Marietta sat down on his other side and leaned into his chest.

He stayed on the settee with Marietta and Astoria before they all decided to go to bed.

Astoria turned to him before leaving the tent.

"Don't beat yourself up Harry, you did the right thing" said Astoria.

She leaned up to him and kissed him on the cheek.

Harry looked at her and managed a weak smile.

"Thanks" said Harry.

She followed Cyrus, Lucille, Daphne, Blaise and Tracey out of the tent.


	27. Chapter 27

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

13th July 1994

Harry slowly opened his eyes as hints of sunlight came through the tent flaps.

He groaned and sat up in his bed at the bottom off the bunk bed as a pair of hands holding a glass of water appeared next to him.

He looked up at Marlene and took the glass from her.

"Thanks" grumbled Harry having a drink.

"How are you feeling?" said Marlene.

Joe jumped down from the top bunk and Alex sat up in the middle bunk.

"Like hell" said Harry sadly.

Marlene sat down next to him on the bed and wrapped her arms around him holding him tightly to her chest.

Sirius made his way over to them and handed him a plate of bacon, sausages and eggs and a knife and fork.

"Eat up Harry" said Sirius.

Marlene let go of Harry who set the plate on his lap and started to eat.

Sirius returned to the kitchen before returning two minutes later carrying three more plates and cutlery handing them to Marlene, Alex and Joe who took them and started eating.

As Sirius walked back to the kitchen they heard someone walk through the tent flaps.

"Mmm, that smells good, give us some" said Dora who was dressed in her pyjamas, dressing gown and slippers.

"What happened to breakfast in your own tent?" said Marlene.

"Mum's still in bed, so I decided to get breakfast from my favourite uncle instead" said Dora walking into the kitchen.

Once she got a plate of bacon and sausages for herself she walked towards Harry who was slowly eating his breakfast with a weary look on his face.

She frowned and leaned into Sirius's ear whispering something to him.

Sirius's eyes went wide before turning to her.

The two were whispering to each other for a few seconds before Sirius nodded.

Harry and the others finished their breakfast a few minutes later.

Sirius took all their plates back into the kitchen before nodding at Dora.

He walked over to Marlene and whispered something into her ear.

She looked at him curiously before he gave her a sharp nod.

She stood up.

"Alex, will you two come with me and your Father" said Marlene looking at him and Joe.

Alex looked at her in confusion.

"What?" said Alex.

"Come with us" said Marlene.

Alex nodded and jumped down from the bed.

Him and Joe followed Sirius and Marlene out of the tent. Harry started to get up to follow them but Dora placed a hand on his chest stopping him.

"Stay" said Dora softly as she sat down next to him on the bed.

A few seconds after Alex and the others had gone Dora turned to him and held his hand in hers.

He turned to look at her in surprise.

"I know how you feel Harry" said Dora softly.

"No you don't" said Harry wearily.

Dora squeezed his hand.

"No, I do, I've been through this before Harry, at an older age than what you are right now" said Dora.

Harry looked at her curiously.

"What" said Harry.

"I was 19, fresh off Auror training, first mission, me and Kingsley were chasing this Black Market Dealer near this old Muggle Quarry, he'd been hiding there for a few weeks, while Kingsley and Moody had been after him for months" said Dora with a hint of regret in her voice.

Harry looked at her curiously.

"So we chased this guy for nearly half an hour until he stopped near a cliff edge… with an 80ft drop, he knew he was cornered, so he attacked us" said Dora.

Harry looked at her with a sad look knowing how the story was going to end.

"I'm not sure exactly how it happened, all I remember is my Stunner hitting his chest… and he fell, then we heard this god awful thump and then nothing, it was the first and only time I'd ever killed anyone, I never meant to do it, and I blamed myself for weeks Harry" said Dora.

Harry squeezed her hand.

"Did you wish you never killed him?" said Harry.

Dora looked at him.

"Every day for two weeks, I nearly quit the Auror's because I couldn't get over the grief and pain, but Moody stepped in and told me that what happened was an accident, and that I shouldn't blame myself for what happened, do you get what I'm saying here Harry?" said Dora squeezing his hand and locking eyes with her.

Harry remained silent for several seconds before nodding.

"Yeah, I think I do" said Harry.

Dora sent him a sad smile.

"Harry, what happened to Pastel Parkinson was an accident, everyone knows you didn't mean to kill the guy, but you knew you had to stop him from hurting Daphne and Astoria, he might have killed them had you not intervened" said Dora.

Harry nodded.

She placed her hand on his cheek.

"Ask yourself this, would you do it any different if you were to go through all of it again?" said Dora.

"No, I would try not to kill him, but I would never let him hurt Daphne or Astoria, no matter who he was trying to hurt, I would try to stop him" said Harry.

"See, no matter who he was after you would've done anything to stop him, yes you would try to avoid killing him, but you would still step in, things like this happen Harry, no matter how young or old you are, the effect your first kill has on you never changes, all we can do is move forward" said Dora.

Harry smiled.

"Move forwards… I think I can do that, thanks Nymphie" said Harry.

He surprised her by leaning forwards kissing her cheek.

Dora wrapped her arms around him.

"You don't need to thank me Harry, you know I'd do anything for you, you've always been like a brother to me" said Dora.

Harry chuckled.

"I know, and you've always been my little sister" said Harry jokingly.

Dora slapped him on the arm.

"Prat, I'm 6 years older than you" said Dora jokingly.

Harry laughed.

"I know, but we both know you don't act like it, even Dorcas acts more her age than you do" said Harry.

Dora smiled at him.

"Come on, enough moping, I want my little brother back" said Dora.

"You got him" said Harry.

Dora let go of him and stood up.

"Come on, the others will be waiting for you, they're worried about you" said Dora.

Harry stood up.

"Oh by the way, about your question yesterday" said Harry.

Dora turned to him.

"What question?" said Dora.

"Your one of them" said Harry.

Dora looked at him curiously before smiling.

"So you think I'm one of the most beautiful girls you've ever met, so tell me am I more beautiful than your girlfriend Harry?" said Dora teasingly.

Harry laughed.

"You know I won't answer that" said Harry walking out of the tent.

Dora laughed and followed him.

When the two left the tent the saw Sirius, Marlene, Amelia, Ted, Andromeda, Alex, Susan, Joe, Katie, Dorcas and Marietta waiting for them.

Once Harry assured them he was alright Sirius told them to pack their things so they could leave.

As Harry was putting his Ireland scarf in his bag Marietta wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"Hey, how about you come and spend a week at mine, my parents asked me to invite you before I came to yours" said Marietta.

Harry smiled and turned around to face her.

"I'd like that, but I need you do something for me" said Harry.

Marietta leaned up and kissed him.

"What?" said Marietta smiling.

"Your parents, you told me they are old fashioned, even though I don't like it I won't hold that against them, but I think it would be best if you told them that I'm not old fashioned and I don't like it when people act like that in front of me" said Harry.

Marietta nodded.

"I'll tell them, and they know about your friendship with Professor Lupin, so I'll tell them not to mention him, I don't want them to upset you by doing so" said Marietta.

Harry smiled.

"So when do you want me to come round?" said Harry.

"How about Tuesday?" said Marietta.

"Tuesday it is then" said Harry.

Harry finished packing before helping Sirius dismantle the tent.

Remus and his family managed to find them as they were taking down their tent saying goodbye to them and promising to see them soon.

Harry and the others also said goodbye to the Tonks who apparated directly from the campsite after taking their own tent down.

By the time they made their way through the queue of people rushing for Portkey's to leave the campsite it was nearly 12 o'clock.

16th July 1994

Harry was sat next to Marietta at the rectangular dining table in her house with her parents. He had arrived earlier that afternoon with Marietta while both her parents were at work at the Ministry.

Martin Edgecombe was a tall stocky black haired man in his late forties. He was dressed in black formal robes wanting to show off for Harry.

His wife Bethany was a short thin blonde haired woman in her early forties. She was dressed in a formal dark blue gown eager to show off like her husband.

"So Heir Potter, our daughter tells us you are one of the top students in your year" said Martin.

Harry nodded.

"Well, I'm not the top in all of my subjects, just DADA and Transfiguration" said Harry humbly.

"From what our daughter tells us, you achieve top marks in all of your classes, even higher than the Ravenclaw's" said Bethany.

"Well that's a little exaggerated, I don't get top marks in all my classes, my friend Katie is the top students in our Charms classes, I'm not top in Potions either" said Harry.

Bethany looked down at her plate sighing with a hint of disappointment on her face.

"Harry's just being humble, he's the best in our year at everything" said Marietta smiling.

Harry sighed.

"You said your not the best in Potions, I was under the impression you were receiving good marks in that class" said Martin.

"You misunderstand Lord Edgecombe, my marks are quite good in Potions, but I don't appear to have inherited my Mother's natural talent for Potion's" said Harry.

"Ah yes, your mother was Lily Evans right, a Muggleborn if I'm not mistaken?" said Martin questioningly.

Harry inwardly groaned.

"This isn't going to end well" thought Harry.

"Yes, she was a Muggleborn, Professor Mcgonagall told me she was regarded as the brightest witch of her age" said Harry.

"Yes" said Martin in a strained voice.

Harry looked at him.

"Is there a problem Lord Edgecombe?" said Harry in a testing voice.

Martin straightened himself.

"No, not at all" said Martin in a falsely kind voice.

They continued their dinner occasionally making small talk.

"I still can't believe Dumbledore hired that beast to teach DADA last year, surely he could've found someone more suitable for working in a school" said Bethany.

Harry suddenly dropped his fork on his plate.

This caught the attention of the others.

"Do you disagree Heir Potter?" said Bethany.

"With your words yes" said Harry.

Martin looked at him with interest.

"And why is that Heir Potter, surely you don't think that half breeds like Remus Lupin should be given jobs in the first place, let alone a job in a school" said Bethany.

Harry glared at her.

"Werewolves cannot help what they are, they did not choose to get bitten, and they have to live with the consequences of someone else's actions, Professor Lupin is one of the lucky ones since he has a wife and son back home, however most are not so lucky, they are vilified by most of magical community" said Harry icily.

"Werewolves are dark, dangerous creatures who are well beneath Witches and Wizards, why should a Remus Lupin, a Werewolf be given a job over a respectable Witch or Wizard?" said Bethany.

"It seems that your daughter forgot to inform you that Remus Lupin is a close friend of mine, or maybe she told you and you simply forgot" said Harry looking at Marietta who glared at him.

"Heir Potter, your Father already damaged the reputation of House Potter by marrying a Mudblood, you are damaging it even further by associating yourself with half breeds" said Martin snidely.

That was the last straw.

Harry snarled and stood up shooting daggers at Martin.

"You disrespectful bastard, I ought to curse you for what you just said, but I think I'll take my leave instead, and be warned if you insult my Mother, Remus Lupin or anyone else in my family again, you will really regret it" snarled Harry.

He spat on the floor in disgust before walking out of the room.

He walked to the guest room and angrily packed his things into his bag.

Marietta appeared in the doorway.

"Don't leave Harry, my parents did not mean it like that, you know that they're old fashioned" said Marietta in an annoyed tone.

Harry kept quiet and continued packing.

"Come on Harry, you said you were going to stay for a week, you only just got here, I stayed at yours for a week and even though I don't like Quidditch I still went to the World Cup with you, the least you can do is return the favour" said Marietta in annoyance.

"So that's it then, everything you said to me on the train was all rubbish, about not wanting to follow all of that bigoted shit your parents come out with" said Harry.

Marietta looked at her feet with a scowl on her face.

"You disgust me, your no different from them" said Harry angrily.

Harry finished packing and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

He walked straight past her still angry.

She turned to follow him as he walked back into the dining room.

"We expected more from you Heir Potter" said Bethany snidely.

"Amusing, because I expected less from racist bigoted fools like yourselves, especially after you overdressed in a pitiful attempt to impress me, how pathetic, Kreacher!" said Harry venomously.

Marietta gasped.

Kreacher materialised in front of him as Martin and Bethany looked rather angry with his words.

"And by the way Marietta" said Harry.

She looked at him in annoyance.

"What?" said Marietta annoyed.

"We're through, what a mistake I made by giving you a second chance, go find some other bloke to put up with you, maybe you should try Malfoy, you two would suit each other perfectly" said Harry snidely.

Marietta fumed as Harry looked down at Kreacher.

"Master calls for Kreacher" said Kreacher.

"Take me home Kreacher before I curse that bastard for insulting my family" growled Harry looking back at Martin who was snarling at him.

Kreacher took his hand and disapparated them back to 12 Grimmauld Place.

He appeared in the sitting room where Sirius and the others were looking at him in surprise.

"Harry, I thought you were staying there for the week" said Sirius.

Harry dropped his bag on the floor and scowled.

"Bloody racist bigots, I swear I would've cursed them if I stayed in that house any longer" said Harry.

Marlene walked over to him and wrapped him in a hug.

"Sorry to hear that Harry, what about you and Marietta?" said Sirius sadly.

Harry laughed.

"Finished, I never should have got back with her" said Harry.

"Is that all that happened?" said Marlene.

"Nope" said Harry.

"What else happened Harry?" said Dorcas.

Harry laughed darkly.

"It seems I wasn't up to his standards on what a Potter heir should be, claimed I was damaging the reputation of House Potter like Dad did, I stormed out after that" said Harry.

"Martin Edgecombe has always been a slimy bugger, he's always pushing for worse treatment of Werewolves on the Wizengamot, tried to make hunting them legal a few years ago but he was shut down straight away, his wife's no different, I wouldn't be surprised if they were Death Eaters given how chummy they are with people like Nott and Macnair" growled Sirius.

"Yeah they certainly gave me that impression" said Harry.

"That bastard hasn't heard the end of this, I'm going round there now, see how much he wants to insult James and Lily in front of me" snarled Sirius.

"Sirius don't, they're not worth it" said Marlene.

"Kreacher" said Sirius.

Kreacher appeared.

"Yes Master" grumbled Kreacher.

"Take me to the Edgecombe estate, its time that slimy bugger got a visit from Lord Black" said Sirius.

"Of course Master" grumbled Kreacher.

Sirius took his hand and the two disapparated.

He returned just under an hour later with a letter from Martin Edgecombe containing a snivelling apology and asking for another chance with his daughter.

Harry laughed before writing his reply.

 _Dear Lord Edgecombe_

 _Your request for me to take back Marietta has been instantly declined. I would not wish to spend any more time with that two faced blood sucking hag even if she was the last girl on this planet._

 _Farewell_

 _Harry Potter._

Alex and Dorcas walked into his room to check on him.

"How you feeling after all of that?" said Alex.

Harry smiled and leaned back on his chair.

"Fantastic" said Harry.

Alex and Dorcas looked at each other mildly surprised.

"Really?" said Alex.

"Yeah, since that slimy bugger is going to get my reply by the morning, I have a feeling it will anger him quite a bit, especially after the apology Sirius forced himself to write" said Harry.

Alex chuckled while Dorcas laughed.

"Hey, us two, Susan and a few of the others have been on about going for a meal tomorrow night to Magic and Muggle, you wanna come with?" said Dorcas.

Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"Sure why not" said Harry.

"Great, its only us, Sue, Daph, Tori, Joe, Katie and Dorcas's friend, Penny, we asked Tracey and Blaise but they're busy" said Alex.

Harry mock groaned.

"Don't tell me I've got to babysit you and your best mate Missy" said Harry jokingly towards Dorcas.

Dorcas snorted.

"Babysit us, yeah right" said Dorcas sounding annoyed.

Harry chuckled.

"Oh yeah, Mum ran into Professor Mcgonagall today, she said the letters will be here in the morning, Mum had a strange smile on her face though, like she knew something we didn't" said Alex.

Harry folded up the parchment and placed it in an envelope writing Martin Edgecombe on the envelope.

"Hedwig" said Harry.

Hedwig flew over to his desk from her place at the top of his wardrobe.

Once he fastened the envelope to her talons he told her to deliver it to Martin Edgecombe.

He stood up and opened the window so she could fly out into the night.

Once she was gone he shut the window before following the two back downstairs.

17th July 1994

Harry, Alex, Dorcas, Sirius and Marlene were sat at the table eating their breakfast when four Hogwarts Owls arrived.

Two of the Owls dropped envelopes in front of Harry while Alex and Dorcas got an envelope each.

Harry picked up one of the letters which felt heavier than his usual Hogwarts letters and smiled.

He opened the envelope and pulled a letter out.

 _Dear Mr Potter_

 _I am pleased to inform you that you have been given the position of Male Fifth Year Prefect for Gryffindor. Congratulations on this appointment which you have achieved through hard work, dedication and excellent grades during your previous years at Hogwarts._

 _You are required to attend a meeting in the Prefects Carriage on the Hogwarts Express on September 1st. Here you will be given more details about your position as a Prefect and what roles are required of you as a Prefect._

 _Professor Mcgonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

 _Head Of Gryffindor House_

Harry put the letter down and pulled his brand new Prefect Badge out of the envelope.

The badge was gold and shaped like a shield with the letter _"P"_ in the centre.

Marlene and Sirius looked at him and smiled.

He smiled widely and attached it to his robes.

"Congratulations Harry" said Marlene.

She leaned across the table and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Sirius stood up and walked around the table to him.

"Congratulations Pup, you earned that" said Sirius giving him a hug.

"Thanks guys" said Harry smiling.

Dorcas stood up and gave him a hug which he gratefully returned.

"You knew didn't you" said Alex looking at his Mum and Dad who smirked.

"Yes, Minerva let it slip yesterday" said Marlene.

Alex smiled and opened his school letter.

He pulled his book list out and began reading through it.

"The Darkest Curses: A Theory, and Advanced Defensive Magic Part II, we need two books for DADA this year" said Alex.

"Same here, but I've got to get Part III of Advanced Defensive Magic, I had Part II last year" said Harry reading through his book list.

"I wonder who we got as a teacher this year then, given that we have to get this Darkest Curses book" said Alex.

"I don't have to get that" said Dorcas reading through her book list.

"We can go to Diagon Alley on Friday, its my next day off, surprised that I've got one with everything that happened at the World Cup, Fudge refuses to believe that the Dark Mark was set off by a Death Eater, keeps claiming it to be some sort of prank" said Sirius.

Marlene groaned.

"The intelligence of some people is a joke, especially that man, its a wonder he's managed to stay in office" said Marlene.

Harry and Alex nodded in agreement.

 _Later that night…_

Harry put his black formal robe on and walked out of his room.

He walked downstairs to find Daphne, Astoria, Susan and Penny waiting with Dorcas. They were all dressed in formal clothes.

Harry walked over to them and greeted them.

"So Harry, where is the lovely Marietta" said Daphne in a teasing voice.

Harry shrugged.

"Don't know, and don't really care" said Harry.

"You two broke up" said Susan.

"Yeah, dumped her last night after a very disastrous dinner with her parents, who hate my guts right now" said Harry.

"I'm surprised you stayed with her that long, she was a right cow" said Daphne.

"A fools mistake I am sure, anyway, its over now and I feel a lot better for it" said Harry.

Suddenly Joe and Katie emerged from the floo dressed in their formal clothes.

"Girlfriend not with you?" said Joe looking at Harry.

"What girlfriend?" said Harry.

Joe suddenly smiled.

"How did it happen then?" said Joe.

"I'll tell you later" said Harry as Alex walked through the door followed by Marlene.

She was holding a hand sized silver tin in her hand.

"This is a two way Portkey, it will take you there and back and can be used whenever your ready, so you don't have to be out for a certain time" said Marlene handing tin to Harry.

"Thanks Mum" said Alex.

Marlene smiled at them.

"Okay, don't stay out too late, and have a good time" said Marlene.

"We will" said Harry.

He held the Portkey out to the others so they could all take hold of it.

Once everyone was touching it he tapped it with his wand causing it to glow blue.

They felt a jerk behind their naval before reappearing outside of Magic And Muggle.

Harry placed the tin back in his pocket and led them inside.

The restaurant wasn't very busy tonight so they didn't have to wait long to be seated.

The Wizard at the Welcome Desk led them towards a large circular booth big enough to fit 12 people.

They sat down in the booth in the order of:

Penny, Dorcas, Harry, Astoria, Daphne, Alex, Susan, Katie and Joe.

The Wizard summoned menus and handed them to each of them.

They decided to order a few pitchers of Butterbeer, Coke, Lemonade, Apple Juice and Pumpkin Juice to share between them.

"There's so much stuff to choose from, its so hard to decide" said Penny looking at her menu.

"Why don't we order plenty of dishes and share them, get a variety of what everyone wants to eat" said Susan.

"I'm up for that" said Alex.

The others agreed.

One of the Waitresses made her way over to them a few seconds later.

"What would you like?" said the Waitress smiling.

Harry and Joe selected several items of food off of the menu like a buffet surprising their Waitress.

"That will take longer to prepare, you could be waiting half an hour for your food, is that okay?" said the Waitress.

"That's okay, we don't mind waiting" said Alex.

The Waitress nodded and left.

"So Harry, how did it end between you and that cow" said Daphne.

Harry took a sip of Coke before telling them about what happened when he was at Marietta's house.

By the end the others had varying looks of shock and anger on their faces.

"That bitch" snarled Katie.

"Ease up Katie, I dealt with it last night, and Sirius threatened her Dad into sending me an apology" said Harry.

Katie calmed down.

"Forget about her Harry, there's better girls out there who'd love to go out with you" said Astoria.

Harry smiled at her as Dorcas smirked unnoticed by the others.

"Cheers Tori, but enough about her, your new Prefect is here to enjoy the night" said Harry.

"Ahem, your new Prefects are here to enjoy the night, and celebrate their appointment" said Katie putting emphasis on Prefects.

"Congratulations guys" said Susan.

"It'll make sneaking out at night a lot easier, and we can finally nail Weasel for something" said Harry.

Laughter erupted around the table.

"As long as you get the Ferret for something as well, he more than deserves it" said Daphne.

"You are aware that we have to do the same to you if we catch you up to no good aren't you" said Katie imitating Professor Mcgonagall's voice to everyone's amusement.

"Just try not to get caught if you want to get up to no good" said Harry smirking.

"Just try and catch us" said Dorcas.

Harry and Katie laughed as they continued their conversation until their many platters of food arrived.

They kept up their conversation while they were eating their main course and dessert. Once they were done Harry, Joe, Alex, Susan and Daphne paid the bill before they all returned to Grimmauld Place.


	28. Chapter 28

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

19th July 1994

Harry, Joe and Katie made their way out of Madam Malkins.

"Anyone up for ice cream, given that we've got 45 minutes until Madam Malkin is finished with our robes" said Katie.

"Yeah, I haven't been there for a while" said Joe.

"Same, we should have time to get our books before we have to go back to Madam Malkins as well, given that we're both waiting on dress robes as well" said Harry.

"Yeah, I wonder why we had to get them this year though, we've never been required to bring them before" said Joe.

Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"Who knows, maybe they've got some kind of Christmas ball or something, either way I needed some new ones anyway" said Harry.

"Same here, I only got my last ones two years ago, and I can't even get the sleeves on them any more" said Joe.

"That's hardly surprising given that you've had a growth spurt, your nearly a full head taller than me now" said Katie.

Joe and Harry chuckled as they approached Fortescues.

"Katie I was half a head taller than you last year, I haven't grown that much, or maybe you got shorter as well" said Joe.

Katie playfully punched him in the arm as they walked into Fortescues.

Once they got some special unmeltable ice cream from Florean Fortescue they sat down at one of the tables outside.

"What time is your Dad picking us up then Katie?" said Harry as he started on his triple chocolate ice cream.

"At half four, its only an hours drive to our house from yours" said Katie starting on her strawberry and cherry mix.

"Well its" said Joe before pausing.

He checked his wristwatch.

"2 o'clock now, we could head back at four, that should give us enough time to get all of our supplies" continued Joe as he started on his triple chocolate.

"Yeah, and my Dad's cooking his special steak pie for us tonight, you guys will lov-" said Katie before she spotted something and froze.

Harry and Joe looked at her.

"What is it?" said Joe.

"Harry… its" started Katie before a voice cut her off.

"Harry" said the voice in a very icy tone.

Harry groaned when he realised who was behind him and turned around.

Marietta was stood behind him glaring daggers at him. Cho was stood next to her looking increasingly uncomfortable.

"Marietta, what do you want?" said Harry in an annoyed tone.

"I want you back, I miss you" said Marietta in a sweet voice.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, well I don't want to get back with you, and I never will, so don't waste your breath" said Harry.

Marietta glared at him.

"You bastard, I don't know why I ever liked you" snarled Marietta.

"I'm not too sure why I liked you either, Alex was right, your just a stuck up ungrateful cow" said Harry.

Marietta looked shocked before storming away from them leaving a shocked Cho behind.

After a few seconds she turned to Harry.

"Harry, can we talk?" said Cho.

Harry nodded.

He looked at Joe and Katie who were watching him carefully.

"I'll be back in a sec" said Harry.

He stood up and followed Cho away from the table into the street opposite Fortescues.

She turned to face him with a questioning look on her face.

"Harry, what happened between you and Marietta, she told me you dumped her after saying some horrible things about her and her parents, not to mention you said some pretty harsh things to her back there" said Cho with a hint of iciness in her tone for her last few words.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"True I did break up with her, I'm glad I did, but its not what she told you, it happened after a very disastrous dinner with her parents" said Harry.

"Go on" said Cho.

"You know about the argument the two of us had last year, about Professor Lupin" said Harry.

Cho nodded.

"Well, you know how her parents are old fashioned, she told me herself, so I knew that they would have the same reaction as she did… when she invited me to stay at her house, I asked her to tell her parents about my friendship with Professor Lupin, you know, in hopes that they would avoid sharing their beliefs about him teaching at Hogwarts" said Harry.

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why you did what you did" said Cho.

Harry nodded.

"I'm getting to that, now for whatever reason, she didn't tell her parents about Professor Lupin, or maybe she did and they weren't bothered, so when I had dinner at her house, something was bound to go wrong, I could tell there was going to be trouble when her Father was making veiled remarks about my Mother being a Muggleborn, then the inevitable happened" said Harry.

Cho sighed.

"Professor Lupin was brought up" said Cho.

"Yeah, her Mother did the worst of it, kept going on and on about Werewolves being evil and below respectable magical folk, now Professor Lupin is a very good friend of mine, so naturally I didn't take it well, I argued with her, then her Father went way too far, he tells me that my Father ruined the reputation of my family by marrying my Mother, using that disgusting word to describe her, that was the final straw, I threatened him, which pissed Marietta off, so I decided to leave" said Harry.

"So she got angry at you for threatening her Father, after what her parents said to you" said Cho in shock.

"Yeah, and when I was packing my bags to leave, she tried to convince me to stay, saying I should ignore what her parents said, making that excuse about them being old fashioned, she didn't care about how I felt about their words, so I decided that was it, I wasn't going to be with someone who tries to make me ignore the slurs about people I care about just because they come from her parents" said Harry.

Cho looked at him and nodded.

"Wow, that's certainly more believable than what she told me, I guess I can understand the reason you two split up, though I'm not sure where to go from here" said Cho.

"Cho, we're friends right" said Harry.

Cho nodded.

"Of course we are" said Cho.

"She's your best friend Cho, I'm not going to make you choose between me and her, nor am I going to hold it against you if you stuck with her, we'll always be friends no matter what happens" said Harry.

Cho smiled.

"I know we'll always be friends Harry, your one of my best friends, and by the way, did you get the prefect badge?" said Cho.

"Yeah, me and Katie got the badges, what about you?" said Harry.

"Nice, and yeah, not sure who got the other badge for our year though" said Cho.

"Congratulations, hey do you want to join us?" said Harry.

Cho smiled but shook her head.

"Thanks for the offer, but I think it would be better if I went to find Marietta, she's supposed to be staying at mine tonight" said Cho.

Harry nodded.

"No problem, I'll see you on the train, enjoy the rest of your summer" said Harry.

He hugged her which she returned.

"You too Harry, don't be a stranger and write to me though, it'd be nice to see you guys again before term starts" said Cho as the two started walking back towards Fortescues.

Once they reached Fortescues Cho said goodbye to the three of them before walking off into the Alley to find Marietta.

"What was all that about?" said Katie as Harry sat back down.

Harry took a bite of his ice cream before telling them all of the details of his conversation with Cho.

Once they had finished their ice cream they collected the rest of their school supplies and their robes before heading back to 12 Grimmauld Place.

At half four Katie's Father Martin picked them up from Grimmauld Place in his BMW Estate car complete with a magically enlarged boot and unlimited fuel tank.

He took the three of them to to Katie's house in Bethnel Green.

Once they arrived they pulled into a two car driveway at a modest two story house at the end of a street.

"We're here" said Katie unfastening her seatbelt and getting out of the car.

Harry and Joe unfastened their seatbelts and got out as Martin got out and opened the boot so they could get their bags.

The four walked up the driveway into the house.

Martin opened the door and led them inside into the entrance hall.

It was nicely decorated with lush green carpets on the floor and stairs. There was a mixture of muggle and magical photo's on the walls depicting events from the Bell family's lives including holiday and school photos.

"Katie, why don't you show the boys where they'll be staying" said Martin closing the door.

Katie led them upstairs and along the landing.

She came to a stop outside a dark wood door and opened it.

"This is your room, my room is the next one along" said Katie.

Harry and Joe walked inside.

There were two single beds with blue covers and pillows with small white dots on them.

There was a large wardrobe and a chest of drawers opposite the beds with bedside tables on each side of the two beds.

The two placed their bags on the beds and walked back to the door.

"Bathroom is that door down there" said Katie pointing to a wooden door at the end of the corridor.

"Cheers, its really nice here, I don't know why we never came down before" said Harry.

Katie shrugged her shoulders.

"Never brought it up did I, well you guys are here now, come on, you can see my room then we'll go downstairs" said Katie.

She led the two out of the room and down the corridor to her room.

Her room was decorated in Gryffindor red with a double bed, wardrobe, desk and chair, a small table with a mirror and different types of makeup, a small TV mounted on the wall and a small bookshelf next to her desk.

"Cosy" said Joe.

"Glad you like it, come on, lets go downstairs" said Katie.

The three walked out of the room and back downstairs into the living room.

The living room was decorated like the entrance hall with photo's adorning the walls. There were two large cabinets on either side of a TV with one filled with books and the other filled with video tapes. There was a large fireplace opposite the door and two settees and three living room chairs facing the TV.

"Dinner will be ready in one hour" said the voice of Martin from the kitchen.

"Okay Dad" said Katie.

Harry and Joe went and sat down on one of the settees while Katie walked over to the cabinet full of videos to find one to watch.

The three watched a few films before and after they had the homemade steak pie and chips that Martin cooked for them.

21st July 1994

Sirius and Rufus Scrimgeour walked into Amelia Bones office and sat down at the desk opposite her.

"Good your here, so what have you found out?" said Amelia.

"Well, it seems that the wand that cast the Dark Mark belonged to Neville Longbottom, but the wand was found in the possession of Barty Crouch's House Elf" said Scrimgeour.

"His House Elf" said Amelia in surprise.

"Yes, or former House Elf to be correct, he fired her after she was found with the wand" said Sirius.

"Did they find anyone else in that area, a House Elf won't have been able to cast the spell" said Amelia.

"No, there was no one else there, but from we could gather, the Death Eaters that were attacking the campsite, they fled when the Dark Mark appeared in the sky, possibly out of fear" said Sirius.

"So its safe to assume that these Death Eaters were not connected to the casting of the Dark Mark, its possible they didn't want to stick around to find out what might have happened after the mark was cast" said Amelia.

"Why though, to them the Dark Mark in the sky could've meant that You-Know-Who was back" said Scrimgeour.

"Maybe that's what they thought, and they didn't want that, look at Igor Karkaroff, he betrayed so many Death Eaters back after Voldemort's downfall, if Voldemort ever returned then he would be killed for his betrayal" said Sirius.

Amelia nodded.

"See what you can find out about who might have been there, if you have to question anyone who claimed the Imperious defence then do it" said Amelia.

"Yes Madam Bones, will that be all?" said Scrimgeour.

"Yes, you can go now" said Madam Bones.

Scrimgeour nodded. He stood up and left the office.

Sirius turned to Amelia.

"Seeing the Dark Mark the other night, it brought back the memories of the last war" said Sirius.

"Yeah, we can only hope that this was just a random occurrence, but deep down we both know it isn't" said Amelia.

Sirius nodded.

"Its just a question of how long we have before Voldemort returns, which is looking more and more likely that he will" said Sirius.

"We could have months, or years, we don't really know, and that's the scary part" said Amelia.

31st July 1994

Alex stepped through the floo into the main foyer of Bones Manor. He was dressed in a white t-shirt, dark blue tie and black trousers.

Susan was stood in front of the fireplace looking at him with a smile on her face. She was dressed in a strapless honey coloured knee length dress and matching shoes.

"Happy birthday" said Susan smiling.

Alex smiled at her before walking over to her and kissing her.

"Thanks, you look beautiful Sue" said Alex.

Susan went slightly red.

"Thank you, you look very handsome as well" said Susan.

Alex smiled.

"So… are we here… alone?" said Alex in a slightly flirty voice.

Susan chuckled slightly.

"For once… yes" said Susan.

Alex smirked and kissed her.

"So… now that you have me here alone, what exactly do you have planned?" said Alex.

"Dinner for two" said Susan.

"Lucky me, what are we having?" said Alex.

"Its a surprise" said Susan.

"Oh its a surprise is it… any chance I could persuade you to tell me?" said Alex smirking.

Susan wrapped her arms around his neck and smirked.

"Don't tease" said Susan.

He leaned in and kissed her before a small pop interrupted them.

"Dinner is ready Miss and Mr" said a female House Elf.

"Thank you Mavis" said Susan.

Mavis nodded and disapparated.

"Now you can stop with this teasing and find out what your surprise is" said Susan letting go of him.

He jokingly sighed and held out his arm.

She took it and leaned into his shoulder.

"Lead the way" said Alex.

Susan smiled and led him into the main dining room where the House elves had set two sets of plates, glasses and cutlery across from each other on the large dining table.

There were several white serving dishes with lids on them in the middle of the table as well as pitchers of different drinks.

They sat down in their seats and smiled at each other.

Alex poured himself a pitcher of Butterbeer while Susan did the same.

She picked up her glass and leaned across the table.

"Cheers" said Susan.

Alex did the same and the two clinked glasses.

"Happy birthday" said Susan.

"Thanks Sue" said Alex.

Susan smiled and put her glass down.

She lifted the lid off of one of the serving dishes.

"Now for your surprise dinner, I made some French dishes for us, along with a few English dishes" said Susan lifting the lids off of the other serving dishes.

"You made this" said Alex in slight shock.

"Yeah, I cooked it while Mavis served it, this is your birthday surprise, me cooking dinner for you, you see patience is a virtue" said Susan.

"It looks delicious Sue, I know I'll love all of it, thank you" said Alex.

The two ate their dinner with Alex trying a little bit of everything while complimenting Susan on her cooking.

Once they finished Alex poured himself another glass of Butterbeer.

"That was delicious Sue" said Alex.

Susan smiled.

"Thank you… Fleur gave me some of the recipes, says she can't wait to see all of us at Hogwarts" said Susan before her eyes went wide and she covered her mouth with her hands.

Alex chuckled.

"Its okay Sue, I know all about the tournament, Dad couldn't help but tell us about it, and Mum had to remind him that he wasn't supposed to tell anyone about it" said Alex.

"Was she mad?" said Susan.

"A little yeah, before telling Harry that he wouldn't be old enough to compete in it, shame, he really wanted to compete" said Alex.

"That sounds like Harry" said Susan.

Alex chuckled.

"It does, but he relented after a while, since he's in his OWL year" said Alex.

"Understandable, and thank god Snape's not marking his Potions OWL, given how much he wants to be an Auror and how Snape only take "O" grade students into his NEWT class" said Susan.

Alex chuckled slightly.

"Yeah, you should have heard Dad when Harry told him about calling Snape an under-qualified, greasy haired bat after Remus resigned, Dad was in stitches since he was laughing that hard" said Alex.

Susan laughed.

"Under-qualified, greasy haired bat, my god that is actually pretty funny, a little outdated but still pretty funny" said Susan.

"Yeah, Mum wasn't too pleased at first, but she warmed up after Harry told her why he said it" said Alex.

"That sounds like your Mum" said Susan.

Alex nodded and had another drink.

"But enough about Harry… lets talk about me and you" said Alex.

Susan nodded.

"Okay, what do you want to talk about?" said Susan.

Alex shrugged his shoulders.

"Anything, you pick a subject" said Alex.

"Okay… what do you want to do after school, I don't think we ever talked about what jobs we want" said Susan.

"You mean other than marrying you" said Alex smirking.

Susan blushed before jokingly rolling her eyes.

"Smooth, and other than that, unless you have plans to take a second wife, Fleur perhaps, she likes you a lot, I seem to recall she told me something like if he breaks your heart I'll hunt him down myself" said Susan smirking at him.

"A second wife, definitely not, and Fleur, she's lovely but I think she might have had her eyes on Harry at the World Cup" said Alex.

"What girl doesn't have their eyes on Harry, he is rather handsome" said Susan sending a teasing smile at Alex.

"Oh you think Harry's handsome do you" said Alex.

"Yeah, your not jealous are you" said Susan.

Alex chuckled slightly.

"Nope, cos I got you all to myself" said Alex.

"So no second wife then" said Susan jokingly with a smirk on her face.

Alex locked eyes with her.

"Who needs a second wife, my first wife is all I need" said Alex.

Susan blushed slightly.

"Good answer, but back to my original question, what do you want to do after school, aside from the obvious of course" said Susan.

"I've been thinking about working for the Department Of Mysteries, as an Unspeakable, you?" said Alex.

"I want to be an Auror, like Auntie, she's been teaching me a little bit about the Auror training this summer, what's required of an Auror and such" said Susan.

"I'm sure you'll make a fantastic Auror Sue, especially if you put your mind to it, which I know you will do" said Alex.

"Thanks, you'd make a great Unspeakable too, you got the brains for it" said Susan.

Alex raised his glass.

"Well then, to our future" said Alex.

Susan raised her glass.

"Our future" said Susan.

They chinked glasses.

They continued making small talk for a good hour before Amelia returned home.

She told Alex that Marlene had sent his pyjamas over so he could stay the night before going home for his party tomorrow.

1st September 1994

Alex pushed his trolley through the barrier onto Platform Nine And Three Quarters followed by Susan and Dorcas.

They pushed their trolleys along the platform towards the carriages as Harry came through the barrier followed by Marlene.

He made his way over to them.

"Best behave yourselves on the train, or I'll have to put you in detention before you walk through the gates" said Harry jokingly as he walked past them.

"Shut up Harry" said Dorcas jokingly.

"You wouldn't do that to us would you Harry?" shouted Susan.

"Don't tempt me" shouted Harry laughing slightly.

They carried on walking past one of the carriages until a knock on the window caught their attention.

Daphne, Astoria, Tracey and Blaise were sat in the compartment telling them to come and join them.

Alex and the others loaded their luggage onto the train and dragged it all the way to Daphne's compartment.

The loaded their trunks into the overhead rack and sat down.

"Hey, do you guys know what's going on at Hogwarts this year, Daddy keeps talking about something big happening this year but he won't tell us what it is" said Astoria.

Alex and Susan smiled.

"Yeah we heard something like that" said Alex.

Daphne arched her eyebrows at him.

"So you know then" said Daphne.

Alex sighed.

"All right, yes we know what's going on this year" said Alex.

"Dad doesn't know how or when to stop talking sometimes" said Dorcas.

"So tell us then" said Tracey.

"And spoil the surprise, never" said Susan.

"Yeah, its a big surprise, you guys are gonna love it" said Alex.

Daphne shrugged her shoulders.

"You should've told us… or I might have to tell Snape that it was you who put those powdered Acid Drops in his Pumpkin Juice last year" said Daphne with a joke evil smirk.

Alex gulped.

"You wouldn't" said Alex.

The others snickered while Daphne shrugged her shoulders.

"That depends, do you really want to find out, or are you going to tell us what this big surprise is, your choice" said Daphne.

Alex locked eyes with her.

"Try me" said Alex.

Daphne rolled her eyes.

"Your funeral Black" said Daphne.

Alex and the others laughed.

"Knock, knock" said the voice of Harry from the doorway as the compartment door opened.

They turned to look at Harry who was stood with Joe and Katie.

"Here he is, the star prefect we better behave or he'll put us in detention" said Susan causing the others including Joe and Katie to laugh.

Harry just shrugged his shoulders.

"Very funny, but I do sincerely hope Malfoy steps out of line, I'd love to nail him for something before we get to Hogwarts" said Harry.

"Please do Harry and get the Weasel and Longbottom as well" said Astoria.

Harry and Katie laughed.

"No promises, but we know we can get Ron if he steps out of line again which he probably will until he learns to grow up" said Katie.

The others chuckled before Alex turned to look at Daphne.

"You won't believe what Miss Greengrass just did to me Harry" said Alex smirking.

"Oh and what did she do?" said Harry looking at Daphne.

"She threatened to tell Snape who pulled that brilliant Acid Pops prank on Snivellus unless I told her what was happening at Hogwarts this year" said Alex.

Harry shrugged.

"So, your a big boy now, deal with it yourself, besides he still thinks it was me anyway, he also thinks I'm the one who turned all the Slytherins into animals last year as well" said Harry.

"Yeah but you did do that" said Susan.

"But he can't prove it and it drove him up the wall when Mcgonagall told him to stop spreading false accusations about me" said Harry.

"Bet he wasn't too happy with that" said Dorcas.

"Not one bit" said Harry.

Suddenly voices from the end of the corridor caught their attention.

"Of course Father wanted to send me to Durmstrang, the headmaster's an old friend you see, he doesn't follow the Mudblood favouritism like Dumbledore, Durmstrang doesn't allow that sort of riff raff, but in the end Mother wasn't too keen on sending me to a school so far away" drawled Draco who walked up the corridor with Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle.

Harry forced himself to look away from Pansy.

"That is such a shame Malfoy, maybe someone would've had the common sense to push you off a glacier" said Joe.

The others laughed as Malfoy and his friends stormed up to then.

"Shut up you pathetic Half Blood" snarled Draco.

Joe chuckled.

"Pathetic Half Blood, Draco you ought to use some intelligence when it comes to petty name calling, unless you got the brains from your Dad or lack of brains if we're being honest with each other" said Alex.

The others erupted in laughter as Draco turned red in anger.

"My Father will hear about this" said Draco.

"I'm sure he will, move along Malfoy, or I might have to write to your Mother about your reliance on your Father to fight your battles for you" said Harry.

"Yeah well at least I have a Mother Potter" snarled Draco.

Everything went quiet as angry looks appeared on the faces of the others.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Draco, Draco, you just don't know when to keep your mouth shut do you, unlucky for you I am a Prefect, so I think a little punishment is in order" said Harry in a bored tone.

Draco paled and gulped.

"A Prefect" stuttered Draco fearfully.

"Yes, now lets see, detention for two nights should suffice, I hear Filch is looking for volunteers to help him with his cleaning, maybe cleaning the bathrooms by hand will teach you a lesson" said Harry.

Draco snarled and pulled out his wand before a petrification spell whizzed past Harry and hit Draco in the chest. He fell the floor stiff as a board as Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle pulled their wands out.

"Unless you three would like to join him in detention, I'd put those wands away" said Katie.

They looked at each other before slowly putting their wands away.

Harry turned around to see Astoria putting her wand away.

He nodded to her and smiled before turning back to Malfoy and cancelling the petrification spell.

Malfoy scrambled to his feet.

"Run along Mr Malfoy, or would you like me to make your detention last longer.

Draco barged past him followed by Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle who glared at him as they passed.

Harry sighed and turned back to face the compartment.

"Good spell work Tori, 10 points to Gryffindor" said Harry.

Astoria smiled.

"Thanks Harry, he had it coming" said Astoria.

The whistle sounded indicating that the train was about to leave.

Harry, Joe and Katie said goodbye to the others before walking back to their own compartment.

Alex and the others stood in the window saying goodbye to their parents as the train pulled away from the platform.


	29. Chapter 29

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

Harry and Katie made their way along the carriage corridor towards the Prefects Carriage.

Upon entering they saw that it was set up like a meeting room with several chairs occupied by some of the other Prefects who were stood in groups engaged in conversation.

They spotted Lee and Angelina stood talking with two of the Ravenclaw Prefects and made their way over to them.

Angelina turned to face them and cracked a wide smile.

"Congrats guys, you made Prefect" said Angelina.

She gave Katie a hug and a kiss on the cheek before turning to Harry and hugging him as the Ravenclaw Prefects left to greet some of the other Prefects.

Lee shook Harry's hand and hugged Katie before congratulating them.

"How was your summer then guys?" said Angelina.

"Really good, apart from that fiasco at the World Cup that is" said Katie.

Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"Could've been better, enjoyed the World Cup though" said Harry.

Angelina looked at him with a sad smile before wrapping him in a hug.

"Its a shame to hear that Harry… if there's anything we can do to help just ask okay" said Angelina.

Harry smiled.

"Thanks Angie" said Harry.

"That's why some people call her the Mother Hen of Gryffindor Harry" said Katie.

"Very protective of her Lions is the lovely Angelina Johnson" said Lee jokingly.

Angelina rolled her eyes and let go of Harry.

"Do you want to talk about it?" said Angelina.

"Other than the fact that I broke up with Marietta, I don't really want to talk about the other stuff right now" said Harry with a frown on his face.

Katie took his hand and squeezed it for support.

Angelina looked at him before nodding with a small smile on her face.

"I understand Harry, like I said, you can talk to me about anything, including any new potential girlfriends if you have any in mind" said Angelina.

Harry smiled and let out a small chuckle.

This is why he liked Angelina. She was always there as a shoulder to lean on when someone needed help and support and never betrayed that confidence. But she never pushed for information or made you tell her things you didn't want to tell her.

"Katie is right, she really is the Mother Hen of Gryffindor" thought Harry.

He smiled at her.

"Thanks Angelina… so now that we're here, what do we have to do" said Harry.

"The Head Boy and Girl give a speech about the Prefects duties, along with a few messages from Dumbledore and Professor Mcgonagall, you'll be given notes with the current password for Gryffindor Tower then you can leave, but your required to patrol the corridors every now and then during the journey to make sure the students are behaving themselves, make sure no one is locking their compartment doors and so forth" said Angelina.

"Hopefully it won't take as long as last year, boy it was boring listening to Perfect Percy go on and on about enforcing each and every rule and taking the fun out of everything" said Lee in a relieved voice.

"I'm glad I didn't have to listen to that speech" said Katie sounding relieved.

"Yeah I swear he just wanted to keep talking so he could listen to the sound of his own voice" said Angelina as Harry sent a smile to Cho and Cedric who had just entered the carriage which was returned by the two.

Katie rolled her eyes.

"How can someone love the sound of their own voice that much?" groaned Katie.

Harry was about to reply when the Head Boy and Girl who were both in Hufflepuff called for their attention.

Thankfully for Harry and the others the two students kept their speech short. They went into detail about the different rules, how to administer punishments properly and fairly, the schedules for patrolling the school at night and the rules for students on the train.

After their speech they passed out the notes containing the House Passwords which would only be visible to students of the house it referenced.

The four looked at the parchment containing their password before showing it to the two Gryffindor seventh year Prefects.

Once they were done they were told to return to their compartments and change into their Hogwarts robes.

"I guess they want us to look like proper Prefects while patrolling the corridors" said Katie as they left the Prefects Carriage with Lee and Angelina.

"That they do… if you want to be a prefect, you need to look the part when they ask you" said Lee.

As they neared the compartment where the Twin's, Alicia and Joe were sat Katie turned to Angelina.

"When do we have to start patrolling the corridors?" said Katie.

"Not for at least an hour yet, since some of the students will have only just settled into their compartments" said Lee opening the door to their compartment.

Joe, the Twins and Alicia turned to look at them.

"Back already, last year you were gone for" said George.

"Nearly an hour" said Fred.

"Yeah that was your Brothers fault last year, this Head Boy and Girl didn't take nearly half of the time it took him to explain everything… in extreme detail" said Angelina using air quotes for "extreme detail".

"Well now that we're back, Lis would you mind going next door for a bit" said Harry.

"Unless you want to watch me and Harry get changed" said Lee jokingly with a smirk on his face.

Everyone bar Alicia laughed before Angelina slapped him in the back of the head.

"Lee, I'd rather snog Professor Snape than watch you get changed, Harry, your a nice enough guy, good looking too, but just your not my type, sorry" said Alicia looking at Harry with a joke apologetic smile on her face.

Harry shrugged his shoulders and chuckled.

"No worries Lis, though I do wish you didn't try to put an image of you snogging the greasy git in my head" said Harry making a pretend sick face at the mention of Snape.

Alicia and the others laughed before standing up and leaving the compartment.

Harry and Lee walked into the compartment to get changed while the girls went to their compartment next door to get changed.

Once the girls returned Katie sat down next to Joe while Angelina and Alicia stood in the doorway.

Fred and George pulled down Fred's trunk and placed it onto the floor opening it.

"Right, ladies, gentlemen" said Fred.

"We have something to show you" said George.

"The next level of Weasley pranks" said Fred.

"You guys are gonna" said George.

"Love them" said the Twins simultaneously.

Fred pulled a small box out from underneath some of his clothes and opened it.

"Presenting… Weasley Wizard Wheezes" said Fred.

Harry and the others looked inside the box.

The box was full of sweets of varying shapes and sizes in different coloured wrappers and a pile of wands.

Joe picked up one of the wands.

He gave it a wave only for a popping noise to sound as the wand changed into a rubber chicken.

He howled with laughter.

"Wow, that is incredible magic, when did you guys make all this stuff" said Katie.

"We've been working on these all summer" said George.

"Mum thought she'd got rid of all of them" said Fred.

"Before we went to the World Cup" said George.

"She thinks we wasted our summer" said Fred.

"She wasn't too happy that we only managed three OWL's each" said George.

"She wanted us to go and work in the Ministry like Dad and Percy" said Fred.

"But we want to open our own joke shop, this stuff is only the first of many joke products we will be selling" said George.

"Wow, that sounds awesome, go for it" said Harry.

"Yeah, so what if you came up lacking in your OWL's, I doubt you'll need them to open a joke shop" said Angelina.

"At least you won't have more than three different classes this year and Mcgonagall likes you too much to be angry at you for being academically lazy" said Alicia.

"Yeah, and both of us got EE's in DADA and Transfiguration, but we did get an "O" each in Potions, thank Merlin since that will be important in developing new products" said George.

"Mum was slightly proud of us for that… though it was only after she got over the fact that we only got three OWL's each" said Fred.

"You guys taking suggestions for new products" said Harry.

"Of course" said Fred.

They spent the next hour discussing ideas for new pranks and listening to the Twins talking about the products they had already invented before Harry, Katie, Angelina and Lee went off to patrol the train.

Meanwhile Alex and the others had just sat back down in their compartment after getting their usual selection of sweets from the Trolley Lady.

They were talking about what happened at the World Cup when they heard a knock before the compartment door opened.

"I hope your all behaving yourselves" said Harry jokingly.

"Of course Harry" said Alex jokingly.

"Good, anyone else given you any trouble since I left" said Harry.

"No, Malfoy looked scared shitless when he walked past about ten minutes ago though" said Astoria smirking at him.

Harry and Lee laughed before they heard the drawling voice of Malfoy from further along the corridor.

"Speaking of Malfoy" said Lee turning to the right to see Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle stood outside another compartment further down the carriage.

They having some sort of argument with whoever was inside the compartment.

Harry sighed.

"Excuse us" said Harry in a frustrated tone.

He and Lee walked over to where Malfoy and his gorillas were stood.

"Is there a problem here boys?" said Lee.

Harry looked inside the compartment to see that they had been arguing with Neville, Ron and Hermione. Out of the corner of his eye he could see some sort of ancient brown robe sticking out of one of the trunks.

Malfoy turned to face them and scowled.

"No, come on boys" said Mafloy.

The three barged their way past Harry and Lee and walked down the corridor.

Suddenly the sound of a door slamming and glass shattering caught their attention and they spun around.

The compartment was now closed and all the glass on the window had been shattered.

Lee sighed and pulled his wand out.

"Reparo" said Lee lazily.

The shattered glass instantly mended itself.

Harry opened the door to see Neville and Hermione hanging their heads in shame while a scowling Ron was sat opposite them with his arms folded glaring out of the window.

Harry sighed.

"Mr Weasley" said Harry.

Ron turned towards them.

"What?" said Ron angrily.

"You should be more careful in future, I sincerely doubt you would like to pay for breaking the window" said Harry.

Ron locked eyes on Harry's Prefect badge and scoffed.

"I can't believe they made you a Prefect, after what you did at the Hufflepuff match" said Ron.

"And why is that Mr Weasley, and please, think carefully before you answer" said Lee.

Ron laughed.

"I mean that whole thing about you falling off your broom and costing us the match against Hufflepuff, we were a joke having to admit defeat to those useless Puff's" said Ron stupidly.

"Ron, you can't say things like that, Harry could've been hurt badly or worse, and he's earned his Prefect status" hissed Hermione.

"Thank you Miss Granger" said Harry.

Ron scoffed.

"Yeah right your only sticking up for him cos you fancy him, you want him to be your boyfriend" said Ron.

"I do not fancy him Ronald… sorry Harry" said Hermione.

"Its quite all right Miss Granger, your a nice girl, but not the girl for me" said Harry.

Hermione nodded with a small smile on her face.

"As for you Mr Weasley-" said Harry before he was cut off.

"What about me, its not like your gonna do anything, I'll tell Mcgonagall that your using your Prefect badge to bully me, maybe then she'll take it away from you and give it to someone who actually deserves it, when I get Prefect next year I bet I'll do a better job than you" said Ron cutting him off.

Neville and Hermione buried their faces in their hands.

"When are you going to learn Ron, you can't keep acting like an ungrateful brat for the rest of your Hogwarts years, and as for being made Prefect, with that attitude you won't stand a chance of being made Prefect." said Lee in a frustrated tone.

"Yes I will, you'll see, first I'll make Prefect, then I'll be Quidditch Captain and Head Boy, you'll all see" said Ron with a dreamy look in his eyes.

"What on earth is wrong with this kid, why is it so difficult for him to act his age" thought Harry in frustration.

He sighed and locked eyes with Ron who still had a dreamy look in his eyes.

"Mr Weasley, it seems that the recent summer holidays haven't done anything to help you grow up, therefore I think you will require some age appropriate punishment for a little boy, two nights detention" said Harry.

Ron suddenly paled and his eyes went wide.

"No, please, I'm sorry Potter please don't give me detention, please don't do that to one of your fellow Gryffindors" pleaded Ron.

"Sorry Mr Weasley, you've had more than enough lessons about the danger of running your mouth and speaking without thinking, we'll let Professor Mcgonagall know that your the first Gryffindor to wind up in detention" said Harry in a frustrated tone.

"I hear Filch is looking for someone to clean Moaning Myrtles bathroom, I'm sure he'll appreciate your help" said Lee.

Ron turned to Neville and Hermione.

"Guys help me out here, surely you can't let them speak to me like this" said Ron.

Hermione shook her head.

"Harry's right Ron, you can't keep running your mouth like that only to moan when you get punished for it" said Hermione.

"She's right Ron, your my best friend but sometimes I can't help but feel embarrassed by some of the things you do to people, especially the ones in our own house, like what you just said to Harry, and he's earned the right to be a Prefect, not too mention he's helped us win the Quidditch Cup twice in the last three years" said Neville.

Ron looked at Neville in shock before looking back at his lap and scowling.

"Don't worry too much Mr Weasley, your not the first person I've had to hand out detentions too, Draco Malfoy was the first, maybe Mr Filch will appreciate two students helping him" said Harry.

Ron suddenly looked at Harry with a half pleading, half angry look on his face.

"Please Potter, you can't put me in detention with that filthy, whores son snake" said Ron angrily.

Lee, Neville and Hermione gasped in shock while Harry glared at Ron.

Neville and Hermione suddenly stood up and stormed out of the compartment which confused Ron.

"Wait, where are you guys going?" said Ron.

"It seems they've had enough of your behaviour Ron, maybe you ought to consider that the next time you do something like this" said Lee.

Ron leaned back in his seat and scowled.

"You never learn do you Mr Weasley… for that's not a very nice thing to say about someone's Mother is it, you wouldn't like it if someone said that about your Mother would you?" said Harry in an angry voice.

Ron paled and scrambled across the seat into the corner.

"N-n-n-no" stammered Ron.

Harry nodded.

"Good answer, but I better not hear anything like that come out of your mouth again, hey Lee, we can take House Points before term starts can't we" said Harry.

"Yeah, how many are you thinking?" said Lee glaring at Ron.

"20 maybe, and detention for four days instead of two" said Harry.

"Fine by me, Mr Weasley, 20 points from Gryffindor for foul and abusive language towards another student, and four days detention, Professor Mcgonagall will be thrilled I'm sure" said Lee with a hint of sarcasm for the last statement.

Ron nodded.

"Fine" said Ron flatly.

Harry and Lee sighed and turned around walking back to their own compartment.

When they arrived they saw that Angelina and Katie we're already back from patrolling the corridors.

To their surprise the six were playing a game of Poker.

"We're back" said Lee coming to a halt in the doorway.

"You guys want in" said Katie.

"Sure" said Lee.

"I'm up for it" said Harry.

"Good, we'll deal you in after this hand, we're playing for each others sweets and those joke products" said Alicia.

"Oh by the way, Fred, George, you might want to test a few of those on Ron, he's already lost 20 points for Gryffindor and has managed to run his mouth all the way to detention" said Harry.

The Twins sighed.

"What has our idiot brother" said George.

"Done this time?" said Fred.

Lee told them the full story before they returned to their game. The only part of the story that surprised the Twins was the fact that Neville and Hermione walked away from Ron at the end of the conversation.

 _Later that evening…_

Harry spotted Mr Filch as he made his way towards the doors to the Great Hall with Joe, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, the Twins and Lee.

He was dressed in his usual mouldy brown robes with Mrs Norris sat down next to his feet watching the students as they walked into the Hall.

He made his way over to Filch causing said man to turn and snarl at him.

"What do you want Potter… up to no good like your Father and his friends I expect" sneered Filch.

"Not exactly, though I could just walk away right now and deprive you of two volunteers for cleaning the castle" said Harry.

Filch's eyes lit up.

"Who" sneered Filch.

"That would be Draco Malfoy and Ronald Weasley, though we will have to discuss their actions with Professors Snape and Mcgonagall first, that is if you still want some volunteers" said Lee.

Filch let out a cry of relief.

"At last, more students to punish by making them do manual cleaning… oh I wish I could have hung them by their thumbs in the dungeons, god I miss the screaming" said Filch with a fond smile on his face.

Harry and the others walked into the Great Hall.

"Creepy" said Angelina shuddering slightly.

Katie nodded.

"Is it normal for someone to enjoy torture that much?" said Katie.

"Dear Katie" said George.

"Old Squib Filch" said Fred.

"Is anything but normal" said George.

"We think that he has the hots" said Fred.

"For that old hag Madam Pince" said George.

Alicia made a mock retching noise.

"Are you sure your not talking about yourselves boys" said Katie cheekily.

The others roared with laughter while the Twins cracked wide smiles.

"Gred… did Katherine Bell just mock us?" said George.

"I think she did Forge" said Fred as they sat down at the table.

"I think she implied that we wish to" said George.

"Romance Old Hag Pince" said Fred.

"Which would be a true definition of torture" said George.

"Just thinking about it makes me want to vomit" said Fred.

Angelina slapped him on the back of the head.

"Go to the bathroom then" said Angelina.

Harry and the others laughed as the last of the students made their way into the Great Hall.

A few minutes later Professor Mcgonagall stood up and left the Great Hall.

"Remember you two, you have to play Mum and Dad by taking the Firsties to the tower after the feast" said Lee jokingly.

"And they'll do a better job than you did Jordan, all you did was go on and on about how they have to fight trolls and dragons in their first DADA lessons" said Angelina.

"Hey they enjoyed that, they all sounded so eager as well" said Lee.

Angelina rolled her eyes.

"Apart from the three that you managed to terrify with those stories" said Angelina.

Harry and the others bar Alicia and Katie let out small laughs.

"Well I managed to calm them down… eventually" said Lee sheepishly.

Harry and Katie chuckled as Joe looked along the Staff Table in surprise.

"Hey, there's still an empty seat, looks like our new DADA Professor hasn't arrived yet" said Joe.

Harry turned and nodded.

"Wonder who or what we got this time" said Harry.

"Maybe we got one of Snape's greasy haired relatives" said George jokingly.

"Now that would be torture" said Fred with a mock pained expression.

"If so then dear Lis should give him a kiss" said George jokingly.

Alicia grimaced before kicking him in the shin.

"Ow" said George.

Alicia, Angelina and Katie smirked at his reaction.

"Serves you right for saying such horrible and disgusting things Georgie" said Angelina sweetly.

"She brought that on herself Angie, with what she said on the train" said Fred jokingly.

"Still wish you'd chosen different Lis?" said Lee smirking.

Alicia scowled.

"Prat" said Alicia.

Professor Mcgonagall walked into the Great Hall.

She exchanged a few words with Professor Dumbledore before leaving the Great Hall again.

They all turned towards the doors to wait for the new first years.

Barely ten seconds later the doors opened and Mcgonagall led them in between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables towards the Staff Table.

Filch closed the doors to the Great Hall.

They watched the sorting giving applause and cheers for each new Gryffindor before Dumbledore stood up to address the students.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts, now before we settle down to our illustrious feast I have a few announcements to make, firstly I am saddened to inform you that the Quidditch Cup will not be taking place this year" said Dumbledore.

Noises of displeasure could be heard around the Great Hall before Dumbledore called for silence once again.

"This is due to an event which will be hosted right here at Hogwarts that will last for the entire year… the Tri-Wizard Tournament" said Dumbledore.

"Your joking" shouted Fred as noises of excitement rang out throughout the Great Hall.

Dumbledore waited for the noise to die down.

"Yes, this will be the first time that the Tri-Wizard Tournament has taken place in over 200 years, this is only due to the hard work and dedication of the Department of Magical Sports and Games to make the tournament safe, now for those of you who do not know, the Tri-Wizard Tournament features three schools for a series of magical contests, from each school a single student is selected to compete, now our competing schools the Durmstrang Institute and the Beaxbaton's Academy Of Magic will arrive on Halloween night, but we'll go into more detail about that before Halloween… however, due to the danger of tasks involved, the teachers and the members of the Ministry Of Magic have agreed that only students who are of age will be allowed to enter, this is for your own safety and that the level of skill and magical knowledge require to successfully complete the tasks is too advanced for anyone under 6th year" said Dumbledore as angry shouts started to be heard around the Great Hall.

"That's not fair" shouted George.

"That's rubbish, its rubbish" shouted Fred.

"You don't know what your doing" shouted George.

"SILENCE!" shouted Dumbledore.

The entire Hall felt deathly silent.

"These rules are final, the representative for each school will be decided by an impartial judge, now that that's out of the way we can get on with our magnificent-" said Dumbledore before the Great Hall doors burst open interrupting him.

All of the students turned to face the entrance.

A lone figure made their way into the Great Hall.

The figure was around six feet tall dressed in a large hooded brown overcoat hiding their face. What was slightly strange was that the figure was limping with his left leg and using a large thick brown staff to walk.

He or she made their way up to the Staff Table towards Dumbledore.

The figure lowered his hood revealing a large balding man in his late 60's with thinning greying blonde hair. What was most unusual about the man was that a large chunk of his nose was missing and that he had a large prosthetic eye attached by a leather strap around his head.

Alex looked at the man before coming to a realisation as Dumbledore shook the man's knarly looking hand.

"Blimey… that's Mad Eye Moody" said Alex.

"Alastor Moody, the retired Auror who caught dozens of Death Eaters in the last war" said Terry Boot.

"I've heard he's as mad as a hatter these days" said Anthony Goldstein.

"He might be mad, but he was a damn good Auror" said Alex.

Dumbledore turned to face the students once again.

"Allow me to introduce you to our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Moody, good luck Professor" said Dumbledore.

Dumbledore, Hagrid as well as a small handful of students clapped their hands in applause but most of the students did not react as they would when welcoming a new teacher.

Moody went and sat down in his seat with his mechanical eye whizzing around the Great Hall.

"Let the feast begin" said Dumbledore.

The food appeared on the tables beginning the Welcoming Feast.

Alex helped himself to some pie and chips.

"So the students from these other schools will be staying at Hogwarts for the full year, wonder what they'll be like" said Anthony.

"Its Beaxbatons Anthony, that means hot French girls" said Terry smirking.

"Hot French girls that will be too old for you Terry" said Alex.

Terry snorted.

"I'll be 15 in two months, they're only what, 17, 18… not that much older Black" said Terry.

"I doubt they'll want to date a 15 year old, unless you find one that likes younger men" said Alex jokingly.

Anthony chuckled.

"Just cos your hitched to one of the hottest girls in our year Black, doesn't mean you can ruin our attempts to get girls of our own" said Terry.

"Well I could ask my friend who goes to Beaxbatons, see if she'd like to date a 14, sorry 15 year old" said Alex.

"I didn't know you know someone who goes to Beaxbatons" said Anthony.

"You could've told us that you know a hot French girl" said Terry.

Alex chuckled.

"Well she's more Susan's friend than mine, I've only met her twice, and who said she was hot" said Alex.

"Lucky guess, and I take it I guessed correctly" said Terry.

The three kept up their conversation while eating their dinner.

"17 years old, we're not 17 until April, that's not exactly fair" said Fred.

"Fred… I've been thinking exactly the same thing" said George.

"Do you have a plan good old twin of mine?" said Fred.

"Of course good old twin of mine, a plan that will work I think" said George.

Harry and the others leaned towards George to listen.

"Do tell dear brother" said Fred.

"Its an impartial judge, that doesn't sound too difficult to get around to enter the tournament, Ageing Potion should work" said George.

"Ageing Potion… come on boys be a bit more realistic" said Katie.

"You really think a simple Ageing Potion is going to work, Dumbledore's not an idiot boys" said Harry.

"Yes but Dumbledore doesn't decide who competes, its an impartial judge who doesn't know how old we are, an Ageing Potion will convince them that we're of age" said George.

"It ain't gonna work guys… but there's no harm in trying I guess" said Joe.

"At least I don't have to use an Ageing Potion, unlike you guys I turn 17 next month" said Angelina with a hint of pride in her voice.

"Lucky you" muttered Fred.

"At least it will be interesting to watch this plan fail, I could do with a good laugh" said Harry.

"Oh you wound us Potter" said George.

"Have a little faith in our plans Potter" said Fred.

After the dinner and deserts were finished Dumbledore stood up.

"Now that we're all finished with our excellent feast, its time that you went to bed, Prefects, lead your houses to your dormitories please, goodnight" said Dumbledore.

Harry and Katie stood up.

"First years, this way please" said Katie.

A small group at the far end of the Gryffindor table stood up and nervously made their way over to them.

"I can swear they get smaller every year" whispered Harry.

"Don't be mean Harry" whispered Katie jokingly.

The First Years stopped in front of them.

"This way please, and be sure to keep up" said Harry.

"It can be easy to get lost in the castle at first" said Katie.

The two led the first years out of the Great Hall and through the castle towards the Gryffindor.

They came to a halt in front of the Fat Lady portrait.

"Password" said the Fat Lady.

"Lions Paw" said Harry.

The portrait door opened and the two led the amazed First Years inside coming to a halt in the common room.

They turned to face them.

"Welcome to the Gryffindor Common Room, this will be your home for the next seven years, my names Harry Potter, and this is Katie Bell, we're your Fifth Year Prefects, we will also introduce you too our Sixth and Seventh Year Prefects when they arrive" said Harry.

"As your Prefects, it is our responsibility to look out for the rest of the students in Gryffindor House, so if you have any problems don't be afraid to come to us and talk to us about it, we promise we will always try to help you, if not us then speak to our Head Of House Professor Mcgonagall about any problems you might have, does everyone understand that?" said Katie.

The First Years nodded.

"Okay, now for those of you who are new to the Magical World, this can be a difficult transition for you, like Katie just said, if you have any problems, then you can talk to us or Professor Mcgonagall, if not then speak to your fellow housemates, as Professor Mcgonagall has told you before you were sorted, this house is like your family, we all have to look out for each other, and you probably already know this but students from other houses are not allowed in Gryffindor Common Room, nor are you allowed in their Common Room" said Harry.

"Way to state the obvious Harry" said Katie.

Harry chuckled.

"Okay, your rooms are on the first floor up the stairs behind you, Boys you go up the left staircase, girls the right staircase, and no boys cannot go up the staircase to the girls room, one last thing though, in recent years there has been quite a few in-house squabbles and arguments between students, this cannot be helped sometimes but we ask that you remember, this house is like your family, so treat everyone in here as you would your family, okay?" said Katie.

There were nods and a few murmurs of "yes" from the First Years as the older students began to arrive in the Common Room.

"Your free to explore the Common Room and your dormitories tonight, fortunately for all of us it is Saturday tomorrow, feel free to use the weekend to explore the castle before classes start on Monday, myself, Katie and our fellow Prefects will be down here for most of the night, so don't be afraid to come to us with any further questions, we're all wearing one of these badges so you know that we are Prefects" said Katie.

"Not frightening the newbies are you?" said Lee jokingly.

"Not at all Jordan, boys, girls, this is Lee Jordan, one of the Sixth Year Prefects, he'll be happy to answer any questions you might have about anything, he's a fantastic storyteller as well, I advise you listen to his stories sometime, he's also going to take you down to the Great Hall for breakfast tomorrow so you don't get lost" said Harry jokingly.

Lee looked at him.

"Your so dead Potter" mouthed Lee.

Harry chuckled before he and Katie walked over to one of the settees by the fireplace.

Joe and Astoria sat down next to them a few minutes later with Astoria looking up at Harry.

"Are you all right Harry, after… you know?" said Astoria.

Harry smiled slightly.

"I'm getting there, what about you?" said Harry.

Astoria nodded.

"I'm doing better, though I can never repay you for what you did" said Astoria.

Harry placed his hand on her shoulder.

"You don't need to thank me Tori" said Harry.

Astoria leaned into his shoulder.

"Some day… I wish you'd look at me the same way I look at you Harry" thought Astoria with a small smile on her face.

Joe and Katie looked at each other before stifling small laughs.

Astoria heard this and turned to them with a small hint of embarrassment on her face.

"Well I'll see you guys later" said Astoria.

She quickly stood up and walked away from them.

Katie let out a quiet sigh as she watched Astoria quickly walk away.

"Damn you Katie, you've only gone and embarrassed the poor girl" thought Katie.

Joe leaned towards Harry.

"It seems Miss Greengrass is concerned about you Harry" said Joe in a slightly teasing voice.

Harry watched Astoria walk over to Ginny.

"Who can blame her, with everything that happened that night, scariest situation I've ever been in, I can't imagine how she felt" said Harry.

Joe and Katie rolled their eyes.

"Yeah, I imagine it was, but at least you guys didn't get hurt" said Joe.

Harry nodded.

"Yeah, but someone did, and I did something I couldn't reverse" said Harry.

Joe placed his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Don't think about that mate, you did what you had to do, personally I don't think any of us would have done things differently" said Joe.

"Yeah maybe… but can we drop this now, lets talk about something else… prank for Weasley or Ferret Face maybe" said Harry.

Joe and Katie nodded before Katie turned around and laughed.

"Looks like the Twins beat us to it" said Katie.

Harry and Joe turned around and burst out laughing.

Fred and George were stood next to Ron who was on his hands and knees vomiting all over the floor while the Twins and Lee were roaring with laughter.

"I guess they took mine and Lee's advice" said Harry.

"A just punishment if you ask me" said Alicia who sat down on the settee opposite them along with Angelina.

"Call me crazy, but I think he's got the hots for Hermione Granger" said Joe.

"Your right you are crazy" said Katie.

"Come on Joe, him fancy Hermione, those two can't go more than five minutes without arguing about something or other" said Harry watching Lee vanish the vomit before Ron threw up again to laughter and noises of disgust from the rest of the students.

"You know he might be right" said Angelina.

"How so?" said Katie.

Angelina smirked.

"Well us two and Lee stayed there for a week over the summer before the Quidditch Cup… one day Fred thought it would be a great idea to go snooping round Ron's room, and we found a moving picture of Hermione under his pillow, I promise its true" said Angelina.

"Its true guys, and we found a few more pictures of her in his desk drawers, Fred and George hid them in their room, best part is that later that night we heard shuffling coming from Ron's room" said Alicia.

"Before he woke everyone up by shouting where are those bloody photo's, as far as we know he never got them back" said Angelina.

Harry, Joe and Katie burst out laughing.

"Does he know who took them?" said Joe.

"He thought his Mum took them when she was cleaning his room" said Alicia laughing.

"Excuse me" said a shy timid voice from next to the settee.

Harry and the others turned to see a small brown haired girl looking at them.

"Hey there, how can we help you?" said Katie.

"Can you get that boy to stop being sick, the smell is bothering all of us" said the Girl.

"Of course sweetie, we'll sort it out now" said Angelina smiling at her.

The Girl nodded and walked away.

Angelina stood up and made her way over to the Twins.

Harry and the others could see her talking to the Twins who suddenly looked slightly uneasy. They hoisted the still vomiting Ron up by his arms before carrying him out of the common room.

Lee vanished the rest of the vomit while Angelina cast a few air cleansing spells to remove the smell.


	30. Chapter 30

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

4th September 1994

Alex walked into his DADA lesson shared with the Gryffindor 4th years.

He took a seat near the front of the room next to Anthony as the rest of the students made their way into the room.

Professor Moody was stood at the base of the steps leading up to his office watching all of them as they entered the room. Alex noticed his magical eye linger on Neville as he sat down near the front with Hermione.

"What's Moody watching Longbottom for?" thought Alex as he opened his bag to get his books out.

As he placed his books on the desk he saw Ron scowling as different Gryffindor students kept preventing him from sitting next to them.

After a few minutes he reluctantly took the only empty seat next to Lisa Turpin who quickly moved her chair over to the end of the desk to avoid him.

"Books away for now please, but you'll need quills and parchment" said Moody in a gruff voice.

Alex put his books back in his bag and pulled some parchment along with his quill and some ink.

The rest of the students followed suit as Moody walked over to the blackboard and picked up a piece of chalk.

Once everyone had their quills and parchment ready he gave a small approving nod.

"Alastor Moody" said Moody.

He turned to face the blackboard and started writing his name.

"Ex Auror, and your new Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher for this year, I'm here because Dumbledore asked me, end of story, goodbye the end, any questions?" said Moody looking around the room.

No one dared to speak up.

His magical eye shifted between the students as he limped past the desks.

"You see when it comes to the Dark Arts, I believe in a practical approach, I want you to see exactly what your up against… now which of you can tell me, how many Unforgivable Curses there are?" said Moody turning back to the board and writing "Unforgivable" on it.

"Three sir" said Hermione.

"And they are so named" said Moody still looking at the blackboard.

"Because they are Unforgivable, and the use of any one of them will" said Hermione nervously.

"Earn you a one way ticket to Azkaban, correct" said Moody before spinning around.

Alex and some of the others flinched as Moody slammed his hand on Michael and Terry's desk.

"Now the Ministry thinks your too young to see what these curses do, I say different, you need to see exactly what these curses do, you need to be prepared" said Moody turning back to the blackboard.

His magical eye whizzed around until it faced the inside of his head.

"Eyes front and pay attention Mr Weasley" said Moody.

Ron who was leaning back in his chair looking at the ceiling quickly looked towards Moody who still had his back to him.

"No way, old codger can see out of the back of his head" muttered Ron.

Moody spun around and threw the chalk at Ron hitting him square in the forehead.

"And hear across classrooms" shouted Moody.

The entire class jumped slightly.

Moody clapped his hands together.

"Now, which curse shall we see first" said Moody.

Moody looked at Ron with his magical eye.

"Weasley!" continued Moody in a sharp voice.

Ron quickly looked at him.

"Yes" said Ron in a panicked voice.

"Get up" said Moody.

Ron slowly stood to his feet as Moody limped over to him.

Ron gulped as Moody looked at him.

"Give us a curse son" said Moody.

Ron swallowed.

"Well, my Dad did tell me about one… the Imperious Curse" said Ron nervously.

"Yeah, yeah, your Father would know all about that, gave the Ministry quite a bit of grief some years ago, perhaps I should show you why, come up to the front" said Moody.

He limped towards the blackboard as Ron slowly walked around the desk up to the front of the room.

Moody limped past the blackboard towards a pile of glass jars sat on the windowsill.

"Face the front Weasley" said Moody as he opened one of the jars and reached his hand inside.

He pulled his wand out as Ron turned to face the rest of the students with a look of pure fear on his face.

Moody pointed his wand at something in his hand.

"Engorgio… Imperio" said Moody.

He spun around and levitated a fist sized black spider as if it was held by a piece of string over to Ron's shoulder who began shaking in fear.

Gasps of shock could be heard around the room as the spider crept up Ron's face and eventually onto the top of his head before he promptly turned white.

"Total control, I can make it do anything I want, even throw itself out the window… or drown itself" said Moody as he levitated the spider into the glass window before holding it in place millimetres above a bucket of water.

He levitated the spider back into his free hand as Ron began to slowly calm down.

Neville and Hermione stood up and helped the still shaking Ron back to his seat.

Moody shrugged his shoulders.

"Lets have another… Black?" said Moody.

Alex turned to look at Moody who was watching him with a somewhat creepy smile on his face.

"The Cruciatus Curse" said Alex dreading what Moody was about to do.

Moody smiled.

"Yes, yes, knew you would know that one, your Aunt was famous for it in the last war" said Moody.

Alex looked down at the desk as he felt the stares of the rest of his classmates on him.

"We'll need something a little larger for this, Engorgio" said Moody dropping the spider onto Alex's desk.

He enlarged the spider until it was the size of a football.

"Watch closely… Crucio" said Moody with a hint of cruelness in his voice.

The spider suddenly started contorting in pain and started squealing painfully.

Alex kept his gaze on the spider and began to hear a high pitched female cackle in his head.

Alex gripped the desk with his fists.

"Stop it, can't you see its bothering him, stop it" said Hermione in a panicked voice.

Moody turned towards her and cancelled the spell.

He levitated the spider over to her desk.

She and Neville looked at Moody who kept his magical eye locked on Neville with his other eye on Hermione.

"Perhaps you can give us the last Unforgivable Curse Miss Granger" said Moody in a calmer voice.

Hermione swallowed and nodded.

"Avada Kedavra" whispered Hermione.

Moody made a noise of agreement.

He sharply pointed his wand at the spider.

"Avada Kedavra" said Moody viciously.

Neville paled slightly as a green light shot out of Moody's wand and hit the spider killing it instantly.

Moody brushed it off the desk.

"The Killing Curse, there's no blocking it, your only hope is that your quick enough to dodge it, its killed many people over the years… but only one has ever survived it, and he's sitting in this room" said Moody.

Alex watched as Moody looked at Neville with both eyes. Alex was slightly surprised when Moody pulled a murky brown and silver skull head hip flask out of his coat and took a swig before shuddering.

"What's that he's drinking?" thought Alex.

Moody limped back towards the blackboard.

"Now to cast any one of those curses to their full power requires complete control and a high amount of anger and hatred, if you all pointed your wand at me and simply said Avada Kedavra, I doubt it would do anything other than give me a simple nosebleed, the Unforgivable Curses require hatred, constant vigilance, you need to hate your target… well, why aren't you writing this down" said Moody.

The scratching of quills suddenly began to be heard around the room.

Alex took one last look at Neville who still looked slightly uneasy.

"What on earth was Moody doing, Neville looks like hell" thought Alex.

"A paragraph on each Unforgivable Curse by the end of the lesson with detail on how to cast each curse as well as the effects each curse had on the spider and what effects they would have on people" said Moody.

He stood next to the blackboard looking around at the students.

Alex put his head down and began writing.

He felt uneasy while he was writing as if he could feel Moody's magical eye watching him every now and then.

He was relieved when the bell rang signalling the end of the lesson.

"Leave your work on your desk then you can leave" said Moody.

Alex chucked his things into his bag before hurrying out of the door.

He almost ran along the corridor before coming to a halt outside the bathroom.

Once he was inside he made his way over to the sink and splashed some water on his face.

"What is wrong with Moody, its not like him to use Unforgivable Curses in front of students, he doesn't even do that for Auror's, then he mentions her, why her, should I tell Harry, how would he react if I were to tell him?" thought Alex looking at himself in the mirror.

He picked up one of the hand towels and dried his face.

"No, I can't tell him, that would only hurt him, or enrage him, or both, but who should I tell, should I tell anyone?" thought Alex as he turned around.

He walked out of the bathroom and headed towards the Great Hall.

Once inside he spotted Harry sat with Joe, Katie, Astoria and Dorcas chatting while enjoying their dinner.

He turned away from them and spotted Susan sat at the Hufflepuff table with Daphne, Tracey and Blaise.

He made a beeline for them sitting down next to Susan who gave him a quick kiss before noticing the slight distress on his face.

"What's wrong, you look like you've seen a ghost" said Susan sounding concerned.

Alex nodded as he placed some steak and potatoes onto his plate.

"Just had a very eventful DADA lesson" said Alex.

"Eventful" said Blaise in slight confusion.

"Why what happened, Moody didn't make everyone run a duelling gauntlet against him did he" said Tracey.

Alex shook his head.

"No, but he must have gone insane, he demonstrated every Unforgivable Curse to the class, and not in a normal teaching way either, you should see Weasel, I thought he was going to have a heart attack" said Alex.

"What happened to him?" said Daphne in a bored tone.

"Moody put a fist sized spider under the Imperious… then made it climb all over Weasels shoulder and head, he turned white and couldn't stop shaking, even after Moody took the spider off of him" said Alex.

Susan gasped.

"He didn't" said Susan.

"He did, and it didn't stop there, he made the damn thing bigger and put it on my desk… before putting it under the Cruciatus Curse, the noise that thing made was unbearable, Hermione had to tell him to stop eventually, then he used the Killing Curse on it right in front of Longbottom, I've never seen him look as uncomfortable as that" said Alex shuddering.

Susan looked at him.

"What else?" said Susan.

"He made a reference to the Cruciatus being a favourite of my deranged Aunt Bellatrix Lestrange" thought Alex.

"That was it, something's seriously not right about Moody… demonstrations are one thing, but to do it like that is unbelievable, barely anyone said a word in that entire lesson" said Alex.

"Sweet Merlin" said Blaise.

"You should talk to one of the teachers about this Alex, or your Dad, there's no way he can be allowed to do something like this" said Susan.

Alex shook his head.

"I don't know, I need to think about what I should do" said Alex.

Susan sighed and nodded before taking his hand.

Alex poured himself some Pumpkin Juice and took a swig.

Tracey looked over towards the Gryffindor table and chuckled slightly.

"Hey Daph, how long has your Sister fancied Harry for?" said Tracey with a smirk on his face.

Alex's eyes went wide and he spat out his Pumpkin Juice.

"Did I just hear that right?" said Alex in slight shock.

The others laughed slightly as Daphne got a wicked smirk on her face looking towards Astoria.

The others turned to look at the Gryffindor table.

Astoria was holding onto Harry's arm laughing at something he had just told her.

Astoria turned and locked eyes with Daphne before turning slightly pink and looking away upon noticing Daphne's smirk.

"Since she was like 8… I may or may not have found her writing a few glowing words about Harry" said Daphne smirking.

"Like what?" said Susan smirking.

"Something along the lines of handsome, charming, perfect, kind, you get the idea" said Daphne.

"Don't worry Sis, I won't mention that you were writing Mrs Astoria Potter all over the cover of your old diary" thought Daphne.

"I didn't even know" said Alex.

"Your Sister does, she's two years younger than you and she figured it out, I thought you Ravenclaws were meant to be smart" said Daphne.

Alex looked surprised.

"Are you telling me that my little Sister figured this out before me, are you really telling me that?" said Alex.

"Sure sounds like it" said Susan.

"That she did, she asked Tori about it at the World Cup, right outside your tent" said Daphne.

Alex swallowed before going back to his food.

"So, is it just a crush, or is she actually, you know" said Alex.

"She won't admit it to me but, yeah, I'm certain she's in love with him, she won't tell him though" said Daphne.

Alex sighed slightly.

"You think Harry knows?" said Blaise.

"He'd have to be dumb as Weasel not to" said Tracey.

Alex turned to look at Harry who seemed relaxed about Astoria's actions. He was even smiling about it.

"Personally I think he knows, he seems so at ease with what she's doing, he's not pushing her away or looking uncomfortable about it, he's just relaxed about it all" said Alex.

"Do you think he likes her?" said Susan.

Daphne sighed.

"I don't know, only time will tell" said Daphne.

Alex nodded before they all went back to their dinner.

 _Later that evening…_

Harry, Joe, Katie and Astoria walked into the common room.

They noticed a few students standing around the notice board and discussing something amongst themselves before they walked over to them.

Joe managed to get to the front and glanced at the notice board.

He let out a small laugh.

"What is it?" said Katie.

Joe pulled something a piece of parchment off of the notice board and handed it to her.

Katie read through it and scowled.

"As much as those products are funny, they cannot do this" said Katie.

Harry looked at the parchment.

 _VOLUNTEERS NEEDED_

 _Fellow Gryffindor Students. Do you want to earn a little bit of pocket money by doing work that requires no effort. If so contact your resident pranksters Fred and George Weasley. We promise to pay you 2 Galleons to be test subjects for a variety of our new joke products._

 _Please sign below if you wish to help out Hogwarts resident pranksters._

There were a small number of names of volunteers on the bottom of the parchment.

Harry sighed.

"If they're paying for volunteers its not breaking the rules, but they should only test the products that they have the counter spells or know how to reverse the effects for" said Harry.

"Knowing those two, the thought won't have crossed their minds" said Katie.

"Well they've just got back now, tell them now" said Astoria.

Katie turned around to see Fred, George and Lee make their way over to one of the settees.

She turned around and walked towards them.

"I think you better go with her mate, before she starts shouting at them" said Joe.

Harry nodded and followed Katie.

"I've seen what those products do and you don't have any way to stop them, you can't use the ones that you can't reverse yet" said Katie.

"She's right boys… we can't stop you from using them on paid volunteers, but only test the ones that you can reverse the effects, since you couldn't do that to your Brother the other night" said Harry.

Fred and George sighed.

"Very well" said Fred.

"We've got a few that we've completed the work on… like the Canary Creams, they only last for about a minute" said George.

"That's okay, just test those for now, we don't want anyone getting hurt" said Katie.

Katie handed the parchment to Lee.

"You've got a few volunteers anyway" said Katie.

"Excellent, I think we best go and get acquainted with them don't you think boys?" said Lee.

Fred and George smirked.

"An excellent idea Lee, time we got to work" said Fred.

Harry and Katie walked back to Joe and Astoria.

7th September 1994

Alex was walking along the corridor with Susan, Daphne, Astoria, Tracey and Blaise when to their annoyance a certain blonde jumped out in front of them.

He had his wand pointed at Alex while Pansy, Nott, Crabbe and Goyle followed with their wands drawn on the group.

"Looky here, Mudblood lovers to punish" drawled Draco.

Alex and the others groaned.

"What do you want now Draco?" said Alex in a bored tone.

Daphne whipped out her wand before Draco and his friends could blink.

"Draco, or should I say Lucius Malfoy Jr, you'll grow up to be just like your Father, a coward who does nothing but kiss Cornellius Fudge's arse, his lips might as well have turned brown by now, and I think yours are starting to turn brown too" said Daphne.

Draco gasped and touched his lips with his free hand.

Alex and the others roared with laughter.

"Oh Draco, I cannot believe you fell for that, I guess intelligence skipped a generation when it came to you, or two generations since your Father is no different" said Blaise causing Draco to snarl.

Draco raised his wand ready to cast a spell.

As he began to cast a stunner a white light hit him in the neck.

Draco screamed as he was suddenly transformed into a white ferret.

Alex and the others turned around to see Moody limping towards them with his wand out.

"I'll teach you to curse someone when their back is turned" said Moody as he started to silently levitate Ferret Draco.

"Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do" said Moody as he limped past Alex and the others.

He continuously bounced the ferret up and down off of the floor.

More and more students made their way over to them including Harry, Joe and Katie who roared with laughter when Moody bounced the ferret off of the ceiling and dropped it on Nott's head.

Professor Mcgonagall made her way over to the front of the crowd as Moody started bouncing the ferret again.

"Professor Moody… what are you doing?" said Mcgonagall full of concern.

"Teaching" said Moody gruffly as Crabbe and Goyle followed the bouncing ferret with by moving their heads up and down.

"Is that a… is that a student?" said Mcgonagall pulling her wand out.

"Technically its a ferret" said Moody as he pulled Crabbe's waistband forward and dropped the ferret down his trousers.

Crabbe squirmed and made noises of fear while Goyle stuck his hand down Crabbe's trousers in an effort to retrieve the ferret.

Goyle shouted in pain before pulling his hand out with a bite mark on one of his fingers.

"This is bloody amazing" said the voice of Ron.

The students roared with laughter as Mcgonagall started to get angry.

A few moments later the ferret crawled out of the bottom of Crabbe's trouser leg.

Mcgonagall silently cast the counter spell transforming the ferret back into the dishevelled Draco Malfoy.

"My Father will hear about this" said Draco.

"Is that a threat?" snarled Moody.

"Professor Moody!" shouted Mcgonagall.

The entire corridor fell silent.

Moody turned to face her.

"We never use Transfiguration as a punishment, surely Dumbledore told you that" said Mcgonagall angrily.

Moody nodded.

"He might've mentioned it" said Moody.

"Then you would do well to remember it" said Mcgonagall before turning to the rest of the students.

"Away" said Mcgonagall.

"Why did that have to stop, it was bloody brilliant" said the voice of Ron.

"Ron" said the slightly angry voice of Hermione.

"Mr Weasley, come here please" said Mcgonagall angrily.

Everyone watched as Ron slowly made his way towards Mcgonagall with a look of fear in his face.

"Detention with Filch for two nights starting tonight, and 10 points from Gryffindor for your comments" said Mcgonagall.

Laughter could be heard from the rest of the students as Ron looked at his feet before walking away with Neville and Hermione.

Alex turned to Harry as Mcgonagall left.

"We've gotta tell Dad about this, he'll be in stitches" said Alex.

Harry laughed.

"I'll let you tell him, then your Mum won't start reminding me of my duties as a Prefect" said Harry.

"You don't want her to give you an earful Harry" said Dorcas in a teasing voice as she made her way over to them.

"I think I'd like to avoid it yes" said Harry.

"I thought Gryffindor's were supposed to be brave" said Alex jokingly.

"And who says we aren't" said Astoria jokingly.

"Well Harry here, doesn't want to tell Mum about what just happened to Malfoy since he knows she'll lecture him on his duties as a Prefect" said Alex.

Astoria looked at Harry with a joke smirk.

"He has a point about bravery Harry, you really don't want to let our house down do you?" said Astoria.

Harry chuckled slightly.

"Aye, we Gryffindors are brave, but we are not stupid… well most of us aren't anyway, the jury's still out on one or two in Gryffindor" said Harry.

"At least I can hold that memory in my mind for a long time… Draco Malfoy the bouncing Ferret" said Astoria smirking.

The others laughed before going there separate ways.

8th September 1994

Harry, Joe and Katie took their seats in the DADA classroom in preparation for their joint Gryffindor Slytherin lesson.

Once everyone had taken their seats Moody took a swig out of his goblet and shuddered before making his way over to the blackboard.

"Right, now that you've seen what the Unforgivable Curses do, we're going to have a little test, I'm going to see how each of you fights off an Imperious Curse" said Moody.

Noises of displeasure could be heard around the classroom.

"But Professor, that's illegal" said Katie in shock.

"If you don't want to be prepared for someone attempting to use the curse on you Miss Bell, there's the door" said Moody gesturing his hand at the door.

Katie looked down at the desk.

"Right, everyone line up in the middle of the room, I will call each person forwards before putting you under the Curse, you will attempt to fight it off" said Moody.

The entire class stood up in a single file line between the middle of the desks before Moody began to call them forth one by one.

He had the students who couldn't resist the Curse performing a variety of actions ranging from impersonations to gymnastics.

More and more students failed to resist the Curse before finally Harry was called forwards.

Moody looked at Harry with a creepy smile that made him feel slightly uneasy before pointing his wand at him.

"Imperio" said Moody.

Harry suddenly felt like he was floating.

"Jump on the desk" said a voice inside his head.

"No" said Harry.

"I said jump on the desk" said the Voice.

"No" said Harry determined.

"I command you to jump on the desk" shouted the Voice.

"No" shouted Harry.

Suddenly he felt his relaxed feeling disappear as he stared at Moody who was looking at him with a smirk on his face.

"Good one Potter, you completely resisted the curse… Harper get up here" said Moody.

Harry moved to stand next to the rest of the students as Joe walked to the front.

Like Harry Joe threw off the Imperious Curse before Moody was forced to give up trying.

Katie made her way to the front as Joe walked over to Harry.

She was able to hold the curse off at first but eventually succumbed and started to tap dance after several seconds of resisting the curse.

Katie made her way over to them as Moody called up the next student.

By the end of Moody's demonstration only Harry and Joe were able to throw off the curse successfully while Katie and two Slytherin students managed to resist the effects for a short time.

"Six inches of parchment on fighting against the Imperious Curse and how you felt when I used it on you to be turned in by next lesson, you can go now" said Moody.

Harry, Joe and Katie stood up and left the room.


	31. Chapter 31

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

31st September 1994

Sirius, Marlene, Remus, Natalya and James were stood outside of a small two story Tudor like cottage on the outskirts of York.

Sirius led them up the path and used a large bronze key to unlock the door.

He led them inside the cottage into a hallway containing old but spotless furniture and a staircase leading to the second floor.

They walked through the cottage and into a living room complete with oak bookshelves, two leather settee's and three leather armchairs, a black wooden coffee table in the middle of the chairs.

There was a small dining room with a six seat oak table and chairs connected to the lounge with two joined white wood and glass doors leading out onto a small garden.

The other two doors in the hallway led to the kitchen and a small bathroom.

Remus smiled as he took in the familiarity of the cottage.

"I've missed this place" said Remus with a fond smile.

Natalya turned to him.

"You used to live here?" said Natalya in surprise.

Remus nodded with a sad smile.

"Lily gave me this cottage after Harry was born, I sent the key back to James when Voldemort was defeated" said Remus sadly.

Natalya grasped his hand squeezing it.

"And now your back, this is a lovely cottage Remus, its perfect" said Natalya looking around with a smile on her face.

Remus kissed her forehead and nodded.

"That it is, come on, you guys get unpacked" said Remus.

He turned to Sirius who handed him the key.

Remus sighed.

"Padfoot and I have something important we need to do" said Remus sadly.

Sirius nodded before Remus turned back to Natalya.

She looked at him for a few seconds before kissing him and nodding.

"Go on, do what you have to do Remus, we'll have everything ready for when you get back" said Natalya.

Remus smiled and let go of her hand.

"We won't be too long" said Remus.

He knelt down in front of James and hugged him.

"Me and your Uncle Sirius have to pop out for a bit Pup, are you going to help your Mum and Aunt Marlene unpack?" said Remus.

James nodded.

"Yes Daddy" said James excitedly.

Remus smiled and stood up.

He ruffled James's hair before Marlene led Natalya and James upstairs with their trunks.

Remus watched them walk upstairs before turning to Sirius.

"Take me to see them Padfoot" said Remus.

Sirius nodded.

"Come on" said Sirius.

He placed his hand on Remus's shoulder and disapparated.

The two reappeared outside of the gates to the Godric's Hollow church graveyard.

Remus gulped before walking through the gate followed by Sirius.

The two came to a halt upon seeing a familiar figure knelt down in front of James and Lily's grave.

Sirius growled when he saw who it was.

Severus Snape.

Sirius started to walk towards Snape but Remus stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"No Padfoot, leave him be" said Remus sternly.

Unfortunately for them Snape heard them and immediately swept away from the grave.

Remus managed a sad smile before moving towards the grave as Severus disappeared from their sight.

Sirius followed Remus as he got closer and closer to the grave,

Remus came to a halt in front of the grave breathing heavily.

"Moony" said Sirius testily.

Remus didn't answer him.

He slowly dropped to his knees and placed his hand on top of the grave bowing his head in sadness.

Sirius watched him in silence as Remus poured his heart out to Lily and James.

24th October 1994

Harry, Joe and Katie sat down with the Weasley Twins and Lee Jordan at the Gryffindor table and started helping themselves to the food.

George looked around to see if anyone was listening before leaning across the table to them.

"We've finally done it, we added the last few ingredients to the Ageing Potion this morning, its all ready" said George.

"Since we're feeling very generous, we've decided to offer you guys some of it as well, if you want it" said Fred.

The three shook their heads.

"Sorry guys, but no" said Harry.

"Its OWL year, and we happen to want more than three OWL's a piece, unlike some people" said Katie teasingly.

Lee shrugged his shoulders.

"Your loss then, just remember what you could have had at the end of the year when you see Lee Jordan, Triwizard Champion" said Lee proudly.

"You have to get selected first" said Joe jokingly.

"And only one of you can" said Harry.

"We all agreed to support whichever one of us gets selected" said Fred.

"I don't think Angie will be too pleased if you do get selected Fredrick, given that she is old enough while you are not" said Katie teasingly.

Harry and Joe chuckled.

"Ah but my lovely Angelina will forgive me when I win the tournament" said Fred confidently.

Harry, Joe and Katie looked at each other unsure of what to say.

"We'll have to wait and see won't we" said Harry.

"I think you'll be quite surprised" said Fred.

They all laughed and carried on with their dinner until Neville and Ron interrupted them.

"You guys got the potion ready then?" said Ron a little too loudly.

"Keep it down you half wit" hissed George looking around the hall in slight panic.

"And even if we have, why would it interest you two?" said Fred.

"Because we want to enter too, I'm more than good enough" said Neville.

"I'll win it for sure" said Ron dreamily.

The others laughed at him.

"You should give him some George, if he wants to be roasted alive by a dragon" said Joe as Daphne, Astoria, Tracey and Blaise sat down next to them.

"I'm the best student at Hogwarts" said Ron hotly.

"If Hogwarts was full of Squibs then that would be true" said Blaise snarkily.

Ron's ears turned red in anger as the others laughed.

Harry looked at Ron.

"Tell you what Weasley, I'll give you some Ageing Potion" said Harry smirking.

Ron's eyes lit up with glee.

"If… you beat Astoria, in a Wizards Duel in Gryffindor Tower after dinner" said Harry gesturing to Astoria who looked at him in shock.

Ron smirked.

"Deal, and I'll beat her with one hand tied behind my back, then I can enter the tournament" said Ron arrogantly.

He walked away followed by Neville who rolled his eyes.

Astoria and the others turned to Harry.

"What was all that about Harry?" said Astoria.

"Relax Tori, he's hopeless at Duelling, and I picked you cos your a year below him, and because you want to humiliate him" said Harry.

Astoria smirked.

"Good answer" said Astoria.

Harry chuckled and drank some of his pumpkin juice.

 _Two hours later…_

Harry stood next to Astoria in the centre of Gryffindor Tower.

The chairs and settee's had been moved to the side creating the space for the duel while the students stood in a circle around it.

Ron was stood opposite her not listening to Hermione who was whispering things in his ear.

Harry leaned into her ear.

"His aim is hopeless, so you won't get much of a fight from him, and do you remember that spell I taught you?" whispered Harry.

Astoria nodded.

"Good luck" whispered Harry.

He turned and walked into the crowd.

Ron sent an arrogant smirk at Astoria as Hermione walked away from him into the crowd.

He slowly raised his wand towards her.

"Jelly Legs" said Ron.

Astoria smirked and spun around dodging the weak Jelly Legs jinx before pointing her own wand at Ron.

"Expelliarmus, Odorus Mateno!" shouted Astoria.

Ron's eyes widened in shock as his wand flew out of his hands before Astoria's second spell slammed into his chest knocking him back.

"You lost Weasley" smirked Astoria.

Ron's expression turned to anger before students around the common room began to cover their noses and mouths and make noises of disgust as a putrid smell began to emit from Ron.

"Merlin Ron, did you forget to shower this morning?" said Seamus Finnegan in disgust.

"You smell worse than Hagrid's Blast Ended Skrewts" said Lavender in disgust.

"You stink" said one of the second year girls in disgust.

Ron flushed with embarrassment before bolting for the stairs.

Harry laughed and walked over to Astoria.

"Told you he was lousy, you could have done that with your eyes closed" said Harry.

Astoria smiled.

"I'll have to remember that spell for future use" said Astoria smirking.

Harry laughed.

"Use it on the Ferret, or if you want to be really cruel, your Sister" said Harry teasingly.

Astoria gave him a mock shocked look.

"You want me to use that on Daphne?" said Astoria.

Harry nodded.

"Don't you want to prank your big sister?" said Harry teasingly as some of the older students started to put the Common Room back to normal.

Astoria smirked.

"Lucky for you, the answer is yes, I'd have done it to you if you had been wrong about that" said Astoria.

Harry laughed before walking back towards Joe and Katie.

31st October 1994

Alex and Susan were walking arm in arm through Hogsmeade.

To Alex's slight dismay Susan was making him carry all six of her heavy shopping bags.

He led Susan over to a bench near Zonko's and sat down putting her bags on the bench next to him.

Susan sat down next to him and leaned into his shoulder.

"Tired already?" said Susan teasingly.

"A little yeah, why did you have to do so much shopping, do you even need all of these clothes?" said Alex sounding slightly exhausted.

Susan smirked and kissed him.

"Its a girl thing honey" said Susan.

Alex smirked.

He summoned Kreacher and told him to take the bags to Susan's room.

Susan was looking at him in slight surprise when Kreacher disappeared.

"Did you really expect me to carry those around all day?" said Alex teasingly.

Susan snuggled into his chest and kissed his neck.

Alex stroked her cheek before the sound of footsteps approaching caught their attention.

They turned to see Hermione walking towards them holding a small box with the contents rattling around inside of it while a bored Neville and Ron walked behind her.

"Hermione" said Alex nodding his head to her.

"Hey Hermione" said Susan.

Hermione managed a small smile.

"Hey guys, I was wondering if you would like to join S.P.E.W?" said Hermione reaching into the box and pulling out a grey circular button with the letters "S.P.E.W" in the centre.

Alex and Susan looked at each other in confusion.

"What's S.P.E.W Hermione?" said Susan confused.

Hermione suddenly looked proud.

"S.P.E.W stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elvish Welfare, we're campaigning to free House Elves from slavery" said Hermione proudly.

Alex and Susan turned to each other then back to her in shock.

"Your what?" said Alex in shock.

"House Elves are nothing but slaves to Wizard kind, slavery is wrong on every level, they deserve better than slavery" said Hermione haughtily.

Alex and Susan gasped.

"Hermione, have you ever met a House Elf?" said Susan.

Hermione nodded.

"I met Mr Crouch's House Elf Winky, and I was there at the World Cup when he fired her for trying to save her own skin" said Hermione haughtily.

"Have you ever met any other House Elves?" said Alex.

Hermione shook her head.

"No, but I saw enough from Winky to know that changes need to be made" said Hermione bossily.

Alex looked at Neville.

"The Longbottoms have House Elves Hermione, and so does my Family, my advice, speak to Neville about it before you do anything else, there's a lot you don't know about House Elves" said Alex.

"So you won't support our campaign then?" said Hermione.

Alex shook his head.

"Sorry Hermione, but no" said Susan.

Hermione scoffed and walked back towards Neville and Ron.

"What was all that about?" said Alex in slight shock and confusion.

Susan sighed.

"She found out that Hogwarts has hundreds of House Elves working in the castle during the welcoming feast, somehow she's got it into her head that they are enslaved against their own free will, and she wants to free all of them" said Susan.

Alex looked shocked.

"I take it she doesn't know what happens to free House Elves" said Alex.

Susan shook her head.

"No she doesn't, I'd have thought that Neville or Ron might've told her that House Elves without Master's wither away and die in a matter of years" said Susan.

"I doubt Ron even knows about that to begin with, and Neville simply won't tell her because he thinks she's smart enough to find out on her own" said Alex.

Susan nodded.

"I get that she wants to free House Elves from people who mistreat and abuse them, that's understandable, but that doesn't mean everyone is like that towards House Elves, you guys don't treat Kreacher like that, even if he is a foul mouthed prejudiced little beast" said Susan.

Alex sighed.

"That's only half true Sue, Dad doesn't exactly treat Kreacher well, but he has a fair reason not too" said Alex.

Susan looked at him.

"What reason is that?" said Susan in shock.

"They hate each other Sue, Kreacher hates Dad because my Grandparents hated him, he was the rebel son who wanted to be better than their Pureblood Supremacy ideals, and Dad hates Kreacher because he's the last link to my Dad's childhood, and he hated his childhood, and my Mum and Harry only tolerate Kreacher" said Alex.

Susan looked slightly surprised.

"I guess that's understandable in a way, he's reminded of his childhood every time he sees Kreacher" said Susan.

Alex nodded.

"If he had his way, he'd have got rid of Kreacher long ago, he'd have probably sent him to my Aunt Andromeda, Kreacher is rather fond of her, but he knows he needs Kreacher to make sure our house is looked after" said Alex.

Susan kissed him.

"Enough of this depressing subject, lets talk about tonight" said Susan.

Alex smiled.

"What did Fleur say when she wrote to you last week?" said Alex.

"Only that she was looking forward to seeing us again, and to see Hogwarts" said Susan.

Alex smiled.

"Anything else?" said Alex.

Susan smirked.

"Well… she did ask me if Harry was still single" said Susan.

Alex looked surprised.

"She still fancies him then?" said Alex.

"She does, I think she'd jump at the chance to be with him, then again, a lot of girls in this school would if they had the chance, especially with those dreamy emerald green eyes of his" said Susan smirking.

Alex rolled his eyes.

"Too bad for Fleur, Harry's got his eye on someone else" said Alex.

Susan smiled.

"Fleur wouldn't get in his way if he liked someone else, she might try it on with him at some point in the next few weeks, but if she realised he liked someone else, someone who liked him back, she'd back off" said Susan.

Alex chuckled.

"You know if she does try it on with him, every other bloke in the school is going to be so jealous of him, especially some of the ones who are around Fleur's age" said Alex.

"Its not like she'd go out with any of them anyway, she doesn't want someone who'll do nothing but drool in her presence" snorted Susan.

"Which is every weak willed boy in this school" said Alex.

The two laughed.

 _Later that night…_

Harry, Joe and Katie were stood in line with the rest of the Gryffindor Fifth Years in the castle grounds near the Quidditch Pitch waiting for the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang to arrive.

Professor Dumbledore was stood in front of all the students watching the skies with a smile on his face.

"What's taking them so long?" muttered Leanne Porter.

"No idea" said Katie.

"How do you think they are getting here?" said Harry.

"Durmstrang will be coming here by ship I think" said Joe.

Nothing happened for the next few minutes before various students began to point to the sky and start talking.

"Look, up there in the sky" said Cormac.

Harry and the others followed his gaze and gasped in surprise.

Something quite large was flying out of the clouds towards the castle.

"Its a dragon" said one Student.

"No you idiot, its a house" said another Student.

The second Student was almost right.

The object flying towards the castle was a carriage shaped like a small French palace. It was being pulled through the air by six white Winged Abraxan Horses.

"That'll be the Beauxbatons Students I believe" said Joe.

"Wow" said Katie in amazement.

As the carriage started to land near them several students turned towards the lake pointing at something.

Harry and the others looked out at the Black Lake where to their surprise a large dark brown wooden ship emerged from the depths.

"These foreign schools certainly know how to show off" said Joe as the ship sailed towards the shore.

They turned their attention back to the carriage as it performed a surprisingly graceful landing in front of them.

They watched in anticipation as a young blonde haired man got down from the front of the carriage and opened the carriage door and steps.

He then took the extremely large hand of the biggest woman Harry had ever seen and helped her out of the carriage.

She stood at nearly nine feet tall with high heeled feet almost as big as a child's sled.

She had medium length shiny red brown hair and was dressed in a dark red fur coat.

"Blimey, that's one big woman" said the stunned voice of Seamus Finnegan from the crowd.

Several boys and girls aged 17 to 18 climbed out of the carriage after the Woman.

They were all dressed in sky blue/grey robes with shawls and blue bowler like hats.

Harry spotted Fleur stood near the front of the students gazing at the students looking for someone.

The Woman led the students over to Dumbledore who smiled.

"Welcome Madame Maxime, I trust your journey was pleasant" said Dumbledore in his grandfather voice.

"Professor Dumbly-dorr" said Madame Maxime in a heavy French accent as Dumbledore kissed her knuckles.

Harry snorted as Dumbledore's head only reached up to her stomach.

"Shall we wait for the others?" said Madame Maxime.

"Of course, they should be along in a few moments" said Dumbledore.

Madame Maxime stood next to him as the Beauxbatons Students stood to one side in a neat square group.

They watched as the group of Durmstrang Students walked up from the lake and made their way over to them led by their Highmaster Igor Karkaroff.

He was a tall skinny man in his early forties with a permanent scowl on his aristocratic face and long sleek black hair with a trimmed black goatee. He was dressed in expensive white fur robes and was holding onto a large shiny wood staff.

The Durmstrang Students were all dressed in red military style uniforms with fur hats and fur cloaks draped over their shoulders making them look quite muscly.

Karkaroff walked over to Dumbledore and opened his arms.

"Albus" said Karkaroff with a heavy Bulgarian accent.

"Igor" said Dumbledore wrapping him in a hug.

The two men separated.

"Death Eater Scum" muttered Joe angrily.

Harry nodded.

"Shall we go up to the castle?" said Dumbledore.

Igor sharply nodded before gesturing to his students.

"Of course Professor Dumbledore, Viktor, walk with me" said Karkaroff.

There were gasps and other noises of delight and shock when a very familiar student made his way over to Karkaroff.

Viktor Krum.

"Look Neville its really him, its Viktor Krum" said Ron in a shocked and amazed voice.

"I know" said Neville in an excited voice.

Harry and the others were surprised as they started to walk back up to the castle.

"I didn't know Krum was still at school" said Katie in shock.

"Me neither, I knew he was still fairly young, but a student, I didn't think he would be that young" said Harry.

Joe looked to his right and snorted.

"Looks like he has a new fanboy" said Joe jokingly.

Harry and Katie followed Joe's gaze and laughed.

Ron kept glancing back at Krum with an excited smile on his face.

"He's not the only one, half of the girls in this school are doing the same, though he is the only boy, that must count for something" said Harry.

It took several minutes for all of them to arrive back in the Great Hall for the feast.

Harry, Joe and Katie sat down next to the Weasley Twins, Lee, Angelina and Alicia who were sat next to the Gryffindor fourth years.

Once the Durmstrang Students made their way into the hall Katie rolled her eyes.

Ron was trying to get Krum's attention to join them at the Gryffindor Table while Neville and Hermione could only watch in embarrassment.

"How old is he, eight" said Harry in a slightly annoyed voice as Krum and the other Durmstrang Students sat down at the end of the Slytherin Table.

"Try five" said Joe.

Harry and the others could hear Ron and Neville muttering about something to do with Slytherins and ignored them.

After the Durmstrang Students sat down the Beauxbatons Students entered the hall as a group and gracefully made their way over to the Ravenclaw Table.

Alex looked down the table and sent a small smile to Fleur who returned it.

He looked back at the Head Table where Madame Maxime and Karkaroff sat down either side of Dumbledore.

To his slight surprise Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch sat down at the left end of the table next to Professor Sinastra.

Dumbledore stood up and waited for the chatter to die down.

"Honoured guests, welcome to Hogwarts for the start of the Tri-Wizard tournament, and I would also like to welcome the head of the Department for International Magical Co-operation Mr Bartimus Crouch and the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports Mr Ludo Bagman, I will have a few announcements for the tournament before you go to bed, but that can wait until after our illustrious feast, tuck in" said Dumbledore proudly.

The food and drink appeared on all of the tables which included a variety of French and Bulgarian dishes.

Harry and the others helped themselves to some of the foreign food and started to eat when they heard more voices coming from Ron and Neville.

"Where do you think the Durmstrang Students are going to sleep?" said Ron curiously.

Neville shrugged his shoulders.

"On their ship I suppose, or maybe Dumbledore will have some rooms in the castle for them" said Neville.

"Well they could always stay in our room, I'd let Krum have my bed if he wanted" said Ron excitedly.

"Why don't you ask him if you can polish his wand while your at it" said Joe sarcastically causing the others to chuckle.

Ron looked at Joe.

"Yeah well maybe I will, I bet he'd say yes" said Ron hotly.

Harry and the others choked before laughing.

Neville and Hermione looked at Ron in shock while Parvati and Lavender sniggered at Ron.

"I don't think Viktor Krum's into that sort of thing Ronniekins" said Fred laughing.

"Not from wizards anyway, witches most likely" said George laughing.

Ron glared at them.

"I'll ask him right now then" said Ron angrily.

Harry and the others were shocked when Ron started to get up from the table before Neville hastily pulled him back down.

"Neville… I think you better tell your mate what we meant, before he embarrasses himself" said Harry.

Neville leaned into Ron's ear and started whispering something to him causing Ron to look disgusted.

"Bloody hell" muttered Ron in embarrassment.

Angelina leaned over to Fred.

"You guys didn't prank him too much when you were children did you, you didn't do something that might have affected his ability to learn things did you?" said Angelina jokingly.

"I wish we had, but this is not our doing" said Fred.

"It would have explained a lot if we had" said George.

Harry and the others laughed before going back to their food.

Once they had finished their main meals the desserts appeared with a variety of foreign desserts as well as the usual desserts on offer.

Once they had finished their desserts they saw Filch and two men they did not recognise carrying a large gold/bronze tower shaped box in between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables.

Harry and the others watched eagerly as Dumbledore, Crouch and Bagman stood up once Filch and the two men put it down at the base of the platform in front of the head table.

Dumbledore called for quiet and waited for the remaining noise to die down.

"Your attention please, the Tri-Wizard tournament is about to begin" said Dumbledore.

Everyone in the hall turned to face him.

"Those of you might be wondering why Mr Crouch and Mr Bagman are here with us tonight, the pair have worked extremely hard on making this tournament safe and coming up with three tasks for the champions, three extremely dangerous tasks that are designed to test your daring, your magical prowess, your powers of deduction, and your ability to cope with danger" said Dumbledore.

"Wicked" said Fred and George together.

"And as such, they alongside myself, Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime will be serving as the judges for each of the three tasks in this tournament, one student will be selected from each school by an impartial judge… the Goblet Of Fire" said Dumbledore moving to stand next to the box.

He pulled his wand out and drew it down the side of the box vanishing it.

Inside the box was a large dark grey goblet which suddenly started spewing purple flames.

"Anyone of age who wishes to compete in the tournament, need only write their name on a piece of parchment, and throw it in the flames before midnight tomorrow night, and I will be imposing an age line around the goblet, so I ask that you do not attempt to enter illegally, because I can assure you it will not work, if you wish to enter, do not do so lightly, once chosen, there is no turning back, as of this moment, the Tri-Wizard tournament has begun" said Dumbledore sternly.

"An age line, that won't be that difficult" whispered George.

Harry smirked.

"I bet that thing won't let you enter, even if it is just an age line" said Harry as they all stood up to leave the hall.

"Oh ye of little faith Potter" said Fred.

"Have some faith in us fellow Marauder" said George.

Harry laughed.

"I'll do you a little bet then, if the Goblet doesn't let you enter, you two have to walk up to Mcgonagall at the feast and declare your undying love for her, if it does let you enter, I'll do it" said Harry confidently.

Fred and George smirked.

"Deal" said Fred and George together.

Harry and the others laughed.

"Get ready to spend the rest of term in detention boys" said Katie.

Harry, Joe and Katie walked away from the Twins laughing.


	32. Chapter 32

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

1st November 1994

"You better be prepared to woo Professor Mcgonagall Harry, and fail at it" said George jokingly.

Harry laughed as he, Joe, Katie, Lee, the Twins, Angelina and Alicia walked into the Great Hall where hundreds of students were gathered watching students from all three schools enter their names into the Goblet Of Fire.

"Don't be so certain George" said Harry jokingly.

They spotted Alex, Susan, Daphne, Astoria, Dorcas, Tracey and Blaise stood near the top of the Gryffindor table and walked towards them.

As they approached the others they saw Cedric walk through the age line and drop his name into the Goblet followed by one of the Ravenclaw seventh years.

Fred and George smirked and pulled a phial out of each of their robes and shook them slightly.

"Ready Fred/George, bottoms up" said Fred and George at the same time.

The two downed their Ageing Potions and took a scrap of parchment out of their pockets.

Everyone in the Great Hall watched with interest as the two jumped through the age line.

"Yes" said Fred and George triumphantly as applause broke out from around the great hall.

"Yes, haha, yes" said Fred as the two slowly walked around the Goblet in celebration.

They stood next to each other facing the Goblet.

"Ready" said Fred and George at the same time.

The two reached up and dropped their names into the Goblet.

A few seconds passed where nothing happened before Fred and George turned to each other.

"Yes" said Fred and George giving each other a high five.

Suddenly the Goblet spat their names out of the flames and hurled the boys through the air.

Laughter broke out in the Great Hall as the two landed on the ground ten feet away.

Multiple students rushed over to check on them before two popping sounds signalled the start of even more laughter.

The Twins had grown long scraggly white beards and long scraggly white hair.

They sat up and looked at each other touching their faces in shock.

"You said" said George.

"You said" said Fred before he lunged at George.

The two started brawling on the floor as cheers and chants of "Fight" could be heard around the Great Hall.

This continued for nearly a minute before a loud bang from the entrance to the Great Hall caught everyone's attention.

Dumbledore walked into the Great Hall putting his wand away in the process.

He walked towards the Twins who had ceased brawling and chuckled.

"I did warn you not to enter if you were underage, Mr Stebbins and Miss Fawcett already tried and failed, though neither of their beards are as spectacular as yours, go up to the Hospital Wing boys" said Dumbledore in an amused voice.

Laughter could be heard around the Great Hall once again as the Twins stood up and left the hall followed by Lee who was still laughing.

As Dumbledore followed them out of the hall Angelina walked up to the Goblet and put her name in with a smirk.

"Hope you get chosen Angie" said Harry.

Angelina smiled.

"Thanks, though it will be very amusing to watch those two get a term of detentions tomorrow night" said Angelina laughing slightly.

Daphne and the others looked puzzled.

"For what?" said Daphne.

Katie smirked.

"Harry here had a little bet with them, if the Goblet didn't let them enter, they would have to declare their undying love for Professor Mcgonagall at the feast before the Champions are selected" said Katie.

Daphne and the others looked slightly shocked before they burst out laughing.

"And what would have happened if you lost that bet Harry?" said Dorcas.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

"I would have had to do it instead?" said Harry in a relieved voice.

The others laughed even harder.

"My god, I would have paid to see that" said Dorcas.

Harry chuckled.

"Unlucky for you then" said Harry.

"Shame" said Astoria jokingly.

"Dad would have never let you forget it if you did that to Mcgonagall" said Alex smirking.

"Why do you think I'm glad I'm not doing it" said Harry.

"So much for Gryffindor bravery" said Daphne smirking.

Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah well, I was going to make them do it to Snape first, but I knew he'd murder whoever said anything like that to him, and he'd blame me of course" said Harry.

The others laughed before they all left the hall.

2nd November 1994

Alex and Susan sat down next to Fleur and the rest of the Beauxbatons students at the Ravenclaw table and started helping themselves to the food.

As Alex was pouring some pumpkin juice into his goblet he spotted Fred and George walking up to the head table.

"This is going to be fun" said Alex smirking.

Susan and Fleur followed his gaze.

Susan smirked while Fleur looked confused.

"What is going on?" said Fleur sounding puzzled.

"Just watch" said Susan.

"Those two are about to get the longest amount of detentions ever" said Alex smirking.

They watched as Fred and George came to a halt in front of Mcgonagall.

"My beautiful Minerva, such a heavenly sight to behold whenever you grace us with your presence" said Fred swooning.

"You are truly the most beautiful witch in this brilliant school" said George swooning causing laughter to erupt from around the great hall.

"I would just love to hold you in my arms and kiss you on top of the Astronomy Tower under the stars" said Fred.

Mcgonagall gritted her teeth trying not to explode in anger.

"Will you marry the best looking twins in the school Minerva Mcgonagall?" said Fred.

The two dropped down on one knee and held their arms out towards her.

Safe to say Professor Mcgonagall was not amused in the slightest.

"Detention with Mr Filch for a month" growled Mcgonagall.

The great hall erupted with laughter once again.

"Ah but we will serve those detentions with pride knowing you are waiting for us at the end of the road" said George.

"We love you Minerva Mcgonagall, with all of our heart" said Fred.

"2 months detention with Mr Filch, now return to your seats or it will be 3 months" growled Mcgonagall.

Fred and George smirked and stood up.

"As you command… my love" said Fred and George together.

The two walked back to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Angelina and Katie as more laughter could be heard around the Great Hall.

Alex, Susan and Fleur were still laughing when Dumbledore called for quiet.

"What on earth was all that about?" said Fleur laughing.

Susan smirked.

"Harry made a bet with them the other day, if they couldn't enter their names into the Goblet, they would declare their undying love for Professor Mcgonagall, and they couldn't put their names in so-" said Susan.

Fleur laughed.

"I guess Arry would have had to do the same if they could enter no" said Fleur smirking.

Alex smirked.

"Very good" said Alex.

Fleur laughed.

"Well, that certainly made for an interesting evening" said Fleur.

Meanwhile back at the Gryffindor table Fred gave George a high five.

"George, that has to be the greatest prank ever pulled in Hogwarts" said Fred with a triumphant smirk.

Harry and the others laughed.

"We love you Minerva Mcgonagall, with all of our heart, that was brilliant" said Katie in a mock dreamy voice.

"Well worth 2 months of detention with Filch, maybe we can terrorise him a little bit, with the Weasleys Wizard Wheezes" said George smirking.

"Mcgonagall would triple your detentions if you did that" said Harry laughing.

"Not if they doesn't know it was us" said Fred smirking.

Harry and the others laughed before returning to their food.

Once the desserts had been finished everyone turned to look at Dumbledore eagerly awaiting the champions selection.

Dumbledore stood up and walked around the head table to the Goblet Of Fire.

"Now the moment you've all been waiting for… the champions selection" said Dumbledore.

He slowly moved his hand around the hall over the top of the students before placing it on the Goblet Of Fire.

Everyone watched in awe and excitement as the Goblet roared into life and spat a piece of parchment out of the purple flames.

Dumbledore caught it and unfolded it.

"The Champion for Beauxbatons… is Fleur Delacour!" shouted Dumbledore.

Applause broke out around the great hall as Fleur smiled before standing up.

She walked over to Dumbledore confidently before shaking his hand.

He gestured for her to go through the door to the antechamber behind the great hall.

Once she walked through the door the Goblet spat another name out.

Dumbledore once again caught it and unfolded it.

"The Champion for Durmstrang will be… Viktor Krum!" shouted Dumbledore.

The applause for Krum was nearly twice as loud as it was for Fleur.

Viktor Krum stood up and firmly shook hands with his fellow Durmstrang students before walking over to Dumbledore and shaking his hand.

Once he had left the hall the Goblet spat out another piece of parchment which Dumbledore quickly caught.

He unfolded it.

"The Hogwarts Champion… is Cedric Diggory!" shouted Dumbledore.

Applause broke out for the third time as Cedric smiled and stood up from the Hufflepuff table.

Harry sighed when he heard Ron shout "No" as Cedric walked up to Dumbledore and shook his hand.

Once Cedric had left the hall Dumbledore turned back to the students walking away from the Goblet as Crouch placed a cloth covered object on the middle of the head table.

"Excellent, we now have our three Champions, but in the end, only one will be crowned in victory, only one will hoist this chalice of champions, this vessel of victory… the Tri-Wizard Cup!" shouted Dumbledore turning around and pointing at the cloth covered object.

The cloth flew off the object revealing a blue silver triangular glass trophy with three dragon handles and runes glowing with a faint blue light.

Applause broke out throughout the hall.

Suddenly to everyone's surprise the Goblet started cackling with purple flame once again.

Dumbledore turned around and started walking back to the Goblet in confusion.

The Goblets fire became even more violent before to everyone's immense shock it spat out a fourth piece of parchment.

Dumbledore caught it in confusion before slowly unfolding it.

"Neville Longbottom" said Dumbledore quietly in confusion.

The entire great hall was eerily silent before Dumbledore turned towards the Gryffindor table.

"Neville Longbottom" said Dumbledore.

Harry and the others looked at Neville in shock who looked stunned by what had just happened.

"No, no" said Mcgonagall sounding puzzled.

"Neville Longbottom!" shouted Dumbledore.

Neville slowly and shakily stood up.

He slowly walked towards Dumbledore who handed the parchment to him without a single word and a shocked look on his face.

Neville looked down at the parchment before looking back at Dumbledore in shock.

Dumbledore just indicated his head for Neville to go to the antechamber as comments began to be heard around the great hall.

"He's a cheat"

"He's not even 17 yet"

"Fame seeker"

"How the hell can he enter the tournament?"

Once Neville left the hall Dumbledore looked back at the students who had looks of shock and anger on their faces.

"Back to your dormitories" said Dumbledore.

No one waited to be asked twice as the students got up and started to leave the hall in droves.

Harry and the others walked back to Gryffindor Tower in silence.

Once they were back inside several students started discussing it amongst themselves.

Harry, Joe and Katie sat down on the settee in silence.

"What in the name of Merlin just happened?" said Joe in shock.

"How the hell is Neville a champion, even though Cedric got chosen as well" said Harry.

"He looked just as shocked as everyone else" said Katie.

"Its obvious he didn't enter himself, so who did enter him?" said Joe.

Harry sighed.

"I doubt that question has a good answer" said Harry solemnly.

"Of course it doesn't" said Joe.

"Questions like that will always have a bad answer" said Katie.

Joe turned around to see some of the other students setting up a celebration of sorts in the common room.

"It would seem that they are planning to celebrate it anyway" said Joe.

Harry and Katie looked and nodded.

"It seems so" said Harry.

"Why wouldn't they celebrate, they got a Gryffindor champion" said Katie.

Harry spotted Ron sat on his own at the table with a bitter look on his face.

"Not everyone is" said Harry.

Joe and Katie turned to look at Ron.

"He's most likely jealous, given that Neville is a champion and he isn't" snorted Joe.

"Surely he must know that Neville didn't enter himself" said Katie.

Harry sighed as Astoria and Ginny sat down next to them.

"I don't think its crossed his mind" said Harry.

"He's just jealous that Neville will be getting all of the attention again, Ron's always been jealous that Neville is rich and famous, while he always tends to be pushed to the side" said Ginny.

"Some friend he is" snorted Astoria.

Ginny stood up and walked over to Ron sitting down next to him.

Astoria looked at Ginny and Ron before turning back to Harry and the others.

"Thank Morgana, I can't stand to hear her talk about Neville sometimes" said Astoria.

"What do you mean?" said Harry curiously.

Astoria sighed.

"With Ginny its always, Neville this and Neville that, he's the great Boy Who Lived, he saved our world, he's so handsome, he's so kind and generous, sometimes I wonder if she loves Neville Longbottom, or the Boy Who Lived" said Astoria.

"She's always had a massive crush on him" said Katie.

"Oh I know, I swear when I walked into our room the other week, she was practising her wedding vows out loud, she stopped as soon as I shut the door, she wasn't too happy either, I'm still not sure if it was because I interrupted her fantasy, or because I heard what she was saying" said Astoria.

Harry was about to answer when noises from the entrance to the common room interrupted them.

Neville walked into the common room and was immediately surrounded by the students.

"You should have told us you actually managed to enter" said George draping a Gryffindor flag on Neville's shoulders.

"But I didn't" said Neville in shock.

"Well, at least you managed to get into the tournament, better for you to win it instead of Diggory" said Angelina.

Harry saw Ron scowl and walk up the stairs out of the corner of his eye.

Neville broke free of the crowd a few minutes later with the Gryffindor banner still draped over his shoulders and a bottle of butterbeer in his hand.

"I'm going to bed George, I'm tired alright" said Neville in a frustrated voice before he went upstairs not giving George a chance to reply.

Fred and George spotted them on the settee and picked up a few bottles of butterbeer before making their way over to them.

They handed the butterbeer to them and sat down opposite them.

"Well that didn't exactly go the way we had hoped" said Fred.

"Oh well, at least Gryffindor have a Champion" said George.

"Aye, a Champion who had no idea he had been illegally entered, and by his reaction, did not even want to enter" said Harry taking a swig of his butterbeer.

"Pity your brother doesn't see it that way, he's jealous of Longbottom, you could tell from merely glancing at him" said Katie.

Fred and George shrugged.

"Ron's always had the tendency to behave and act rashly before thinking things through, he'll get over it" said Fred.

"He always does" said George.

Harry sighed and looked towards the stairs.

"Maybe" said Harry.

"So… what do you guys think the first task is going to be, apparently its in two weeks" said Fred.

"No idea, it'll be something dangerous and exciting though" said Joe taking a swig of his butterbeer.

"With all the work they've put into this, it has to be" said Astoria.

Fred and George smirked.

"Good, because we have many planned pranks for the Champions, especially now that Neville is a Champion" said Fred.

"Pranking normal students can be a bit boring when there are Champions to prank, maybe Karkaroff as well, there are lots of brilliant things we can do to them" said George.

"Especially with the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes" said Fred smirking.

Harry and the others chuckled.

"Just save it all until after the first task, you don't want to give them any serious disadvantages in the tasks" said Harry.

"No promises" said George smirking.

They stayed on the settee chatting for the next two hours occasionally going to get more drinks and food before Astoria went up to her room to go to bed.

Once she was gone Joe sighed and turned to Harry and Katie.

"I need to tell you guys something… in private" said Joe in a heavy voice.

Harry and Katie looked confused before nodding.

"Okay" said Katie curiously.

"What do you want to talk to us about?" said Harry.

Joe looked around the common room.

"Not here, I'll tell you in our room" said Joe.

He stood up and walked towards the stairs not giving them chance to reply.

"What is going on?" said Harry as Joe quickly walked up the stairs.

"No idea" said Katie.

Harry nodded.

"Come on" said Harry.

The two stood up and walked up the stairs to Harry and Joe's room.

Once they walked inside they saw Joe sat on the bed with his head in his hands.

Katie immediately sat down next to him while Harry sat down opposite him.

"What was it you wanted to tell us?" said Harry.

Joe sighed.

"Something I should have told you years ago" said Joe.

"Told us what" said Katie taking his hand.

"The truth" said Joe.

"Truth?" said Katie.

"About my Family, who we really are, where we really came from" said Joe mournfully.

Katie squeezed his hand.

"Take your time" said Katie.

"You don't have to tell us anything you don't want to" said Harry.

Joe shook his head.

"No I want to, its just, its not going to be easy" said Joe.

"Whatever it is, we won't think any less of you mate" said Harry.

"We care about you, your our best friend" said Katie.

Joe looked at each of them and smiled sadly.

"Okay, it all starts with my Grandfather, his surname wasn't Harris" said Joe.

"What was it?" said Katie.

Joe took a deep breath.

"His real name… was Gerrard Vordkin Grindelwald" said Joe.

Harry and Katie gasped.

"Grindelwald" said Harry.

"You mean he was?" said Katie.

"Yes, his Father, my Great Grandfather… was Gellert Grindelwald, I wanted to tell you in our second year when Dumbledore found out the truth, but I couldn't" said Joe sadly.

Harry took a deep breath.

"So… your Great Grandfather was Gellert Grindelwald, that doesn't bother us, we would never judge you for that" said Harry.

Joe looked at him.

"Harry's right Joe, we won't hold this against you, why did you never tell us?" said Katie.

"I wanted too, but I couldn't bring myself to do it, our family has been persecuted because of the actions of my Great Grandfather, my Great, Great, Great Aunt Bathilda suffered more than the rest of our family did, she used to have more than what she has now, she held a seat on the Wizengamot, but when her family history came out after Dumbledore won his legendary duel against my Great Grandfather, she was stripped of her seat and most of her respect in Magical Britain, she still holds a small amount of respect, but not even half of what she once had" said Joe.

Katie wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Harry sat down on his other side and did the same.

"That is why my family lead very private lives, we know what the repercussions will be if this ever got out, so we didn't want to give anyone a chance to find out, especially since my Grandfather was still a wanted man, and still is to this day, they do not know that Gerrard Grindelwald has been dead for nearly 6 years" said Joe.

"How did he manage to stay hidden, a lot of people were after him for killing Edric Bones" said Harry.

"My Great Grandfather did what might be the only good choice he ever made during his crusade, perhaps even his life" said Joe.

"What did he do?" said Katie.

Joe took a deep breath and started telling the story.

 _13_ _th_ _April 1945_

 _The 25 year old Gerrard Grindelwald was stood with his Father Gellert Grindelwald in Gellert's study._

 _Both men had neat strawberry blonde hair and were dressed in black wizard robes. Gellert had a black ring on his right ring finger with the words "Greater Good" inscribed on it._

 _Gellert was looking out of his window in deep thought._

" _You wished to see me Father?" said Gerrard._

 _Gellert turned to him._

" _I fear our latest actions have finally forced an old friend into the fray" said Gellert._

" _Dumbledore" snarled Gerrard._

" _Yes, it seems he has finally decided to get involved, I think he intends to kill me, even with the Elder Wand I fear I will not be strong enough to stop him" said Gellert._

" _Then we will face him together" said Gerrard._

" _No" said Gellert turning to face him._

 _Gerrard looked at his Father in slight confusion._

" _We will not do anything, I will deal with Dumbledore myself" said Gellert._

" _What about me, what about your Son?" said Gerrard._

" _You will leave, take my accumulated wealth and leave, go and live your life" said Gellert._

" _What?" said Gerrard in shock._

" _Leave, take my money and go and live another life, Dumbledore will kill you if you remain here" said Gellert._

" _I'm not leaving you Father" said Gerrard._

" _You must, there is nothing left for you here, I have already accepted the fact that Dumbledore might want to kill me, but I will not allow him to do the same for you, Edric Bones was one of his closest friends, Dumbledore will not have forgotten what you did to him" said Gellert._

 _Gerrard opened his mouth to argue but a glare from his Father caused him to close it._

 _It was silent between the two for a few minutes._

" _Okay, I will leave" said Gerrard in resignation._

 _Gellert removed the ring from his finger and walked over to Gerrard._

 _He placed the ring in his open hand._

" _I only send you away so you can be safe, you deserve a better life than this, take this and leave, empty the Family vault and use it to start a new life, if you go back to Godric's Hollow I'm sure my Aunt Bathilda will help you" said Gellert._

 _Gerrard gave his Father a stiff nod before turning and walking to the door._

" _Gerrard, I already lost your Mother, your younger Sister as well, and I couldn't do anything to save them, I can't handle losing the only family I have left, I love you" said Gellert._

" _I know father, and I am proud to be your son, I love you too" said Gerrard._

" _Farewell my son" said Gellert._

" _Farewell Father" said Gerrard._

 _He walked through the door and didn't look back._

Harry and Katie looked at him.

"My Aunt Bathilda took him in, helped him change his name, find a new place to live, then a few months later he met my Grandmother, she worked for the Care and Regulation of Magical Creatures at the time, when he told her the truth she said it didn't matter, that she loved him, and she still does, they got our Family Manor a year after they got married" said Joe.

Harry and Katie placed their hands on his shoulders.

"Exactly how much money did your Grandfather get, if you don't mind me asking" said Katie.

Joe looked at her.

"Around 2 million Galleons, but thanks to my Father's brilliant knowledge of investments, that number is quite a bit larger now" said Joe.

"Wow, that's impressive" said Katie.

"How much bigger, if you don't mind me asking" said Harry in slight surprise.

Joe managed a small smile.

"About 12 million Galleons, buying shares in the new Firebolt almost tripled the 5 million Galleons he had increased our wealth too" said Joe.

"Your Dad sounds like quite a business man" said Harry in slight shock.

"He is, even some of the Goblins respect him, given how good he is at turning a profit, they have consulted him over possible business expenditures more than once, and profited from them, but that's irrelevant right now, I just wanted to say… thank you for supporting me, and my family, we've had to live private and secluded lives for many years because we knew what would happen if our past came to light" said Joe.

Katie hugged him.

"We're your friends, we'll always have your back, no matter what" said Katie.

Joe smiled and returned her hug as Harry squeezed his shoulder/

"Its what friends are for, they look out for each other" said Harry.

Joe squeezed his hand in return.

Katie left them a short while later so she could go to bed as Harry and Joe decided to call it a night.


	33. Chapter 33

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

3rd November 1994

Marlene walked into the sitting room carrying two cups of steaming hot coffee.

She was dressed in her sky blue nightgown with her hair tied behind her head.

She spotted Sirius sat down on one of the settee's reading the Morning Edition of the Daily Prophet with a frown on his face.

He turned to look at her and managed a small smile.

"Hey Marls" said Sirius in a slightly defeated voice.

Marlene sat down next to him and looked at him with a questioning look on her face.

"Alright, what's wrong Sirius?" said Marlene sternly handing him one of the cups of coffee.

Sirius took it and sighed.

"The Ministry's in an uproar, about what happened at the Champions Selection last night" said Sirius sadly.

"And what exactly happened last night?" said Marlene locking eyes with him and sipping her coffee.

Sirius frowned and sipped his coffee.

"The Goblet Of Fire appears to have selected four Champions instead of three, one from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, and two from Hogwarts" said Sirius.

"What?" said Marlene in shock.

Sirius nodded.

"It seems Hogwarts has two Champions, Cedric Diggory and Neville Longbottom" said Sirius.

Marlene placed her cup on the coffee table in front of them.

"How did a 14 year old boy managed to get chosen by the Goblet Of Fire, along with another Champion who is of age to compete" said Marlene.

Sirius shook his head and placed his mug on the coffee table.

"I don't know, Neville cannot have entered himself, but someone else entered his name, as to who, many people at the Ministry believe that Neville entered himself, Crouch and Bagman took a right battering off of Fudge, neither could explain how Neville was chosen, or how he could have possibly entered" said Sirius.

"Of course he could not have entered himself, but who would have entered his name, and why did it select two Champions for Hogwarts?" said Marlene.

Sirius sighed and leaned back on the settee.

"I have to go to Hogwarts this afternoon and speak to Neville with Scrimgeour, Fudge insisted on sending Umbridge or another one of his lackeys, but Amelia wants me to do it instead" said Sirius.

Marlene snarled slightly at the mention of Umbridge.

"I bet that was Malfoy's idea to send Umbridge, that foul toad is good at causing trouble" said Marlene bitterly.

Sirius nodded.

"True, but thankfully Amelia managed to bend Fudge's arm into compliance" said Sirius.

He stood up and walked over to the fire gazing into the flames.

Marlene stood up and walked over to him.

"What is it, what are you not telling me?" said Marlene.

Sirius frowned and lowered his head.

"War is coming Marls, just like the last time, I don't know how, but I just get this feeling" said Sirius solemnly.

Marlene grasped his arm.

"What feeling?" said Marlene.

Sirius turned to face her and placed his hand on her cheek.

"That Voldemort will be back, I don't know how, but I know he will return soon, Amelia and some of the others are the same, war will be upon us soon, I'm sure of it" said Sirius.

"Maybe your wrong, I hope your wrong" said Marlene though she did not believe her own words.

Sirius pulled her close to his chest wrapping his arms around her.

Marlene leaned into his shoulder as he kissed her forehead.

"I want to be wrong, but I know I'm not, Voldemort will return, I know he will" said Sirius sadly.

Marlene nodded.

"Then we best be ready for when he does, and no matter what happens, we have to protect our children Sirius, we have to" said Marlene in a determined voice.

"We will" said Sirius.

The two stayed like that for several minutes before finally separating.

 _Meanwhile…_

Alex and Susan sat down next to Harry at the Gryffindor table and started helping themselves to some breakfast.

"Morning" said Harry in a slightly tired voice.

"Big party in Gryffindor Tower last night was it?" said Alex noticing that some of the other Gryffindor students looked a little tired.

"You should have seen the one in the Hufflepuff dorm, went on all night" said Susan yawning slightly.

"Oh it went on for a bit, though Longbottom didn't feel up for celebrating, nor did Weasley as it happens" said Katie.

"Looks like Weasleys down here now, can't see Neville or Hermione though" said Susan spotting Ron sat on his own further down the table.

What puzzled her slightly was that he was scowling while piling the usual large amount of food onto his plate.

"What's wrong with him anyway?" said Susan.

Joe looked down the table at Ron.

"Jealous of Longbottom is what's wrong with him, seems to think Neville entered himself, probably why he's sat on his own, I think Neville is avoiding coming down for breakfast because of Ron and the other students" said Joe.

"Why on earth would he think Neville entered himself, surely he should know that Neville didn't enter himself" said Alex sounding surprised.

"It'll be jealousy more than anything else" said Harry.

"Understandable in a way, Neville's famous amongst other things, his parents are loaded, he gets better grades, Ron probably wants all of that as well" said Katie.

Susan nodded before grimacing slightly.

"I know its been like this for four years now but, how in Merlin's name can you put up with seeing him eat like that, its disgusting" said Susan in disgust as Ron continued shovelling large amounts of food into his mouth.

Harry grimaced.

"Who says anyone in Gryffindor puts up with seeing that, its usually worse" said Harry.

"How does it get worse than that?" said Alex in shock.

"He hasn't sprayed the table with bits of food yet" said Katie in disgust.

"Don't jinx it" said Harry.

Katie rolled her eyes as she continued eating her breakfast.

 _Later that afternoon…_

Sirius and Dora were sat in Dumbledore's office along with Dumbledore and Frank Longbottom.

The four of them were sat in complete silence before the door opened to reveal Neville and Professor Mcgonagall.

Sirius pulled a notepad and a self writing quill out of his robes as Professor Mcgonagall led Neville into the room and over to Frank before leaving the room.

Sirius activated the quill and turned to Neville who had a slightly nervous look on his face.

"Do you know why you are here Mr Longbottom?" said Sirius.

Neville nodded before sitting down next to Frank who had a look of annoyance on his face.

"Is this really necessary Black?" said Frank sounding annoyed.

"That's Auror Black Frank, and you know its necessary that we do this, the Ministry want to hear your son's side of the story" said Sirius.

"Fine, just get on with it" grumbled Frank.

Sirius nodded and turned to Neville.

"Okay Mr Longbottom, did you or did you not enter your name into the Goblet Of Fire?" said Sirius as the quill started writing on the notepad.

"I didn't enter" said Neville.

"Did you ask an older student to enter your name for you?" said Sirius.

"No" said Neville.

"Its quite obvious that Neville did not enter himself Auror Black, surely you can conclude your questioning now" said Dumbledore sternly.

Sirius inwardly sighed as Dora turned to Dumbledore.

"Your request has been noted Professor Dumbledore, but this interview has not finished yet, do not interrupt us again" said Dora.

Dumbledore held up his hands in front of his chest in surrender.

Sirius nodded.

"Okay Mr Longbottom, can you think of anyone who might have entered your name without your knowledge or consent?" said Sirius.

"Karkaroff maybe" said Neville nervously.

"And why do you think he entered your name?" said Sirius.

"Its obvious Black, Karkaroff's a bloody Death Eater" said Frank bitterly.

"Igor Karkaroff's past is not relevant to this interview, Mr Longbottom please answer the question" said Sirius.

Neville looked at Frank and then Dumbledore.

"He's always acting weird around me, watching me and such" said Neville nervously.

Sirius nodded.

"Okay… is there anyone else you think might have entered you?" said Sirius.

Neville shrugged his shoulders.

"Malfoy maybe" said Neville.

Sirius sighed and nodded.

"And why do you think that?" said Sirius.

Neville scowled.

"Because he's a spoiled prat, he's always been jealous of me, and he's always trying to cause trouble for me and my friends" said Neville.

Sirius rubbed his forehead in frustration.

"Draco Malfoy is in the same year as you, what makes you think he could have entered your name into the Goblet Of Fire?" said Sirius sternly.

"I don't know, maybe he got one of the older Slytherin students to do it for him" said Neville in annoyance.

"I think that's enough now Black" growled Frank.

"Its obvious Mr Longbottom did not have anything to do with his entry into the tournament, perhaps you should be focusing your efforts on other matters" said Dumbledore sternly.

Sirius glared at the old Headmaster.

"Perhaps, though your competence will be called into question Dumbledore, given that whoever entered Mr Longbottom was able to get past your Age Line, which you told all of us would prevent underage students from entering illegally, and managed to bewitch the Goblet into selecting Mr Longbottom after another Hogwarts student was chosen" said Sirius icily as he deactivated the notepad and quill placing them in his pocket once again.

"That will not be necessary Auror Black, I have already spoken to Mr Bagman about these events, I believe that will suffice" said Dumbledore sternly.

"Mr Bagman is not an Auror Dumbledore, you will be questioned properly by someone from the DMLE, as will the staff who were also present when you drew the Age Line if we deem necessary" said Dora bitterly.

"Is that really necessary Auror Tonks?" said Dumbledore.

"Yes… Mr Longbottom, you may return to your dormitory now, Dumbledore… Auror's will be arriving at the school tomorrow afternoon to interview you about the events of drawing your Age Line and the events of the Champions Selection" said Sirius sternly.

Dumbledore sighed and nodded as Neville hugged Frank before leaving the room.

"Very well then, see yourselves out" said Dumbledore gesturing towards the fireplace.

Sirius and Dora nodded before walking over to the fireplace.

Sirius stepped into the fireplace and flooed to the Ministry followed by Dora.

They stepped out of one of the fireplaces in the Ministry Atrium to find Fudge and Dolores Umbridge waiting for them.

"Well Auror Black, what did you find?" said Fudge.

"Will Mr Longbottom be punished for entering the tournament illegally?" said Umbridge with a sickly sweet smile on her toad like face.

Sirius growled.

"Mr Longbottom did not enter himself into the Tri-Wizard tournament Dolores, so no, he will not be punished" said Sirius bitterly.

It was clear that Umbridge was not satisfied with that answer.

"Well then, perhaps we should speak to Mr Longbottom ourselves Minister, given that he has obviously lied to Auror Black here, someone with a higher authority would make Mr Longbottom be more inclined to tell us the truth" said Umbridge.

"That is not necessary, you are not an Auror Dolores, if you wish to discuss this any further, kindly speak to Madam Bones after I have finished my report" said Sirius bitterly.

Umbridge looked between Sirius and Fudge with a scowl on her face before huffing.

"Very well, come along Minister, important work to be done" said Umbridge.

Fudge nodded.

"Yes, very important work, I have to give a statement to the prophet about this new turn of events in the morning, I must prepare for that" said Fudge.

He and Umbridge walked away from Sirius and Dora.

Dora scowled.

"Bitch" muttered Dora hatefully.

"Damn right" muttered Sirius.

The two started walking towards the lifts.

Dora looked at him with a serious look on her face.

"Who do you think entered Neville then?" said Dora.

Sirius rubbed his forehead.

"Honestly… I don't know, but I doubt whoever did this had good intentions, with everything that has happened recently… Wormtail escaping, Death Eaters at the World Cup, the Dark Mark at the World Cup, these cannot be coincidences, the safety of our world is dwindling" said Sirius in a defeated voice.

"What more can we do though?" said Dora.

Sirius came to a halt in front of the lift.

"We find out who entered Neville into the tournament, or try to at least, whoever did this has covered their tracks pretty well, it might be impossible to find out who is behind this, and what their end game is" said Sirius.

Dora nodded but remained silent.

4th November 1994

Alex and Susan walked out of the main castle doors into the courtyard.

"I wish I could say I was looking forward to the first task, but with what happened the other night, its hard to" said Susan leaning her head against Alex's arm.

"I know, I can only imagine how Neville must be feeling right now, knowing what lies ahead" said Alex.

Susan gazed over the courtyard before spotting something and frowning.

Alex looked down at her.

"What is it?" said Alex.

Susan nodded her head towards one of the benches.

"Look" said Susan.

Alex followed her gaze and let out a small sigh.

Neville was sat on the bench with his head in his hands while Hermione was sat next to him with her arms around his shoulders.

Alex and Susan walked towards them causing Neville to look up at them.

"What do you want, come to tell me I'm a cheat like all the other Hufflepuff's?" said Neville bitterly.

Alex and Susan sat down next to them.

"Come on now Neville… you don't really think we're stupid enough to think that you entered yourself do you?" said Susan.

Neville and Hermione looked slightly surprised.

"You believe him then?" said Hermione.

Alex snorted.

"Anyone who uses just an ounce of common sense would know that Neville didn't enter his name, your reaction that night confirmed you didn't enter yourself" said Alex.

"Pity not everyone sees it that way" said Neville bitterly.

Susan rolled her eyes.

"If Weasley is your real friend, he'll come round, he's just jealous, and not thinking things through as usual" said Susan.

Neville sharply turned to her.

"I don't get why he's jealous, I didn't enter the tournament, he should know that" said Neville angrily.

Alex sighed.

"Then maybe you should reconsider your friendship with him, for your own sake, its clear that you two are on different wavelengths when it comes to certain things" said Alex.

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Neville.

"Many things, the two of you are completely different, especially in maturity levels, you can at least act like a 14 year old, he can't, you don't complain about every little thing that you do wrong, he does, and you think carefully before you say things, most of the time anyway" said Alex.

"He has got a point Neville, Ron's our friend but… he does need to grow up and change his act a bit" said Hermione rubbing his shoulders.

"And maybe his manners as well" said Susan quietly.

Neville grasped Hermione's hand and squeezed it.

"I don't know, we've been friends for years, and I've never seen him like this, I don't know what to make of it" said Neville.

"You should do what you feel is right Neville" said Alex.

Susan placed her hand on Neville's arm.

"Look, if its any consolation… I'll speak to some of the other Puff's, see if I can get them to lay off you a bit, okay?" said Susan softly.

Neville just nodded.

"Thanks" said Neville.

Susan nodded before standing up.

Alex stood up and took her hand.

"I'd start preparing for the first task if I was you, in any way you can" said Alex.

Alex and Susan walked away from them towards the bridge.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" said Alex.

Susan sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, I think he'll be fine, he's got people he can rely on, and that's what he needs most" said Susan.

 _Later that evening…_

Harry was sat down at one of the tables in the library reading from an Advanced Transfiguration book.

As he turned the page he heard the sound of footsteps approaching the table.

"Hey Harry, do you mind if I join you?" said a familiar voice from behind him.

Harry turned around to see Astoria stood behind him clutching her book bag.

He smiled and nodded.

"Of course, sit down" said Harry.

Astoria smiled and took the seat next to him dropping her book bag on the table.

Harry resumed reading her book as Astoria pulled some parchment, ink, a quill and her DADA textbook out of her bag.

"You okay?" said Astoria.

"Yeah I'm good, bit stressed since its OWL year but other than that I'm fine" said Harry.

"Why so stressed, you'll get through your OWL's no problem" said Astoria looking at him.

Harry laughed.

"Trust me, when you get to Fifth Year, you'll be just as stressed as me when it comes to your OWL's" said Harry jokingly.

Astoria chuckled.

"Way to make me nervous for my OWL's already Harry, congrats" said Astoria mock annoyed tone.

Harry smirked before looking down at his book again.

Astoria glanced at him before making a start on her homework.

"Harry… can I ask you an honest question?" said Astoria.

"Go for it" said Harry.

"Are you worried?" said Astoria seriously.

Harry looked at her.

"About what?" said Harry.

Astoria sighed.

"About all of this, about everything that's happened in this last year, do you ever worry that something bad is going to happen?" said Astoria.

Harry slowly placed his hand on her shoulder and nodded.

"Sometimes, are you worried?" said Harry.

Astoria slowly nodded.

"I am sometimes, especially since the summer" said Astoria.

Harry frowned and rubbed her shoulder.

"I try not to think about that night, you should do the same" said Harry.

Astoria slowly placed her hand on his arm causing him to look down at it.

"I think that's what others don't get, they don't get what its like to be in that situation said Astoria.

"I envy them, that I killed a man and they didn't, that you watched me kill a man and they didn't" said Harry solemnly.

Astoria looked a little surprised before squeezing his arm.

"Harry… don't hate me for saying this" said Astoria.

Harry looked at her curiously.

"For saying what?" said Harry.

Astoria sighed.

"I'm glad you killed him, because I knew he was going to kill me and Daphne, is it wrong to think that?" said Astoria locking eyes with him.

Harry was taken aback before quickly composing himself.

"Perhaps, but I've never been in your situation, so I couldn't possibly know, I've only ever been on the other side of the situation" said Harry.

Astoria rested her head on his shoulder catching him off guard.

"Your a good man Harry" said Astoria.

"Thanks" said Harry in a slightly puzzled voice.

Astoria quickly lifted her head from his shoulder.

She opened her textbook glancing down at it before turning to face him.

"I don't suppose you could help me with my DADA work?" said Astoria quickly.

Harry nodded.

"Okay, what help do you need?" said Harry.

Astoria pushed her book towards him.

"Its this part about the different body distortion curses and who created them, like the bone bending curse, I can't find anything about when and where it was first used" said Astoria.

Harry looked down at the book.

"I learned this last year, I'm sure I can help you with this" said Harry looking back at her.

Astoria gave him a quick hug.

"Thanks Harry, your a lifesaver, at least Moody won't make me duel him for not completing my homework" said Astoria in a slightly relieved voice.

"He makes you run duelling gauntlets for not completing homework?" said Harry in slight shock.

Astoria nodded.

"Yeah, against him, thankfully its only light jinxes and hexes though, jelly legs and such, its just annoying that I can't cast a shield charm quick enough to stop him, he's too damn quick" said Astoria in a slightly annoyed tone.

Harry chuckled.

"Well, some more practice with it would benefit you" said Harry jokingly.

Astoria gave him a mock look of shock.

"And what exactly are you proposing Mr Potter?" said Astoria in a mock stern voice.

Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"Well… I suppose a tutor might be able to help you with some of your spell work, that is if you want a tutor" said Harry.

"And who would this tutor be?" said Astoria sternly narrowing her eyes at him.

Harry chuckled.

"Well… I suppose I could teach you a few things, if you want" said Harry.

Astoria smiled.

"I'd like that, if that's okay with you" said Astoria.

"Of course its okay with me, I am offering aren't I?" said Harry.

Astoria sent him a grateful smile.

"Thanks Harry" said Astoria.

Harry smiled and rubbed her shoulder.

"No problem, do you still want some help with this?" said Harry gesturing to her book with his head.

Astoria bumped his shoulder playfully.

"You best start explaining this stuff then" said Astoria jokingly.

Harry chuckled and looked down at the book.

5th November 1994

"Where is she?" thought Harry as he glanced up and down the corridor.

He was leaning on the wall next to the concealed entrance of the Room Of Requirement.

He glanced down the corridor towards where the stairs were located and saw Astoria walking towards him a few minutes later.

"You came, I thought you'd forgot about tonight" said Harry jokingly.

Astoria chuckled.

"You obviously don't know me very well then" said Astoria jokingly.

Harry stood up straight and looked at her.

"Well, lets make a start then" said Harry.

He started pacing in front of the wall several times before the entrance finally revealed itself to them.

Astoria walked over to the door and opened it.

Harry followed her inside revealing a room identical to the room they practised DADA in during Harry's third year.

Astoria moved towards the centre of the room pulling her wand out as Harry shut the door.

"Are you ready to begin?" said Astoria cockily.

Harry smirked and started walking towards her slowly.

He pulled his wand out as she smirked at him.

"Well that depends… Jelly Legs" shouted Harry quickly pointing his wand at her.

Astoria was caught out and started to lose her balance as a red spell shot out of Harry's wand and hit her chest.

Astoria struggled to remain upright before Harry moved forwards catching her before she could hit the floor.

Astoria went slightly red and looked up at Harry.

Harry held her there for a few moments before casting a Finite charm on her and helping her upright.

Astoria relaxed and smiled at him.

"Thanks" said Astoria nervously.

Harry chuckled and stepped away from her.

"Lets try again shall we?" said Harry.

Astoria nodded and got ready.

Harry got ready.

"Remember, speed and determination, shout the spell if you have too" said Harry.

Astoria nodded.

Harry pointed his wand at her and cast another Jelly Legs at her.

"Protego!" shouted Astoria slashing her wand in front of her.

The spell bounced off of the shield causing Harry to duck as it sailed over his head.

"Very good, come on, lets try again" said Harry straightened up.

Astoria nodded.

The two carried on practising for the next 30 minutes before deciding to finish for the night.

Astoria turned to Harry as he put his wand away.

"So… what do you think the first task will be?" said Astoria as she brushed some dust off of her skirt.

Harry shrugged.

"No idea… but knowing this tournament, it'll be something dangerous and exciting at the same time" said Harry.

Astoria walked towards him.

"How do you think Neville will fare, knowing that he didn't enter himself" said Astoria.

"Knowing his Dad and Hermione, I think he'll be alright, not to mention the numerous security measures they put on the tournament, they'll make sure nothing bad happens to anyone" said Harry.

Astoria managed a small nod.

"I hope so, given that he is being forced to compete in something as dangerous as the Tri-Wizard Tournament" said Astoria.

The two walked out of the room and shut the door causing the entrance to disappear.

As they walked down the stairs Astoria turned to him.

"Would you have entered, if you had the chance?" said Astoria.

"Maybe, if I felt I was up to it" said Harry looking at her.

Astoria sent him a cheeky smile.

"I'm sure you would have been up to it if you could have entered, you probably could have won it" said Astoria.

Harry laughed.

"Well at least I got one vote of confidence, Aunt Marlene was very pleased when I found out I was too young to compete" said Harry.

"Maybe because she doesn't want to see you get hurt, since she loves you so much" said Astoria.

Harry looked at her before smiling.

"That was probably it yes, though, it would have been good if I could have entered and competed" said Harry.

Astoria suddenly took his hand and squeezed it.

"I-, I mean we'd have cheered you on all the way" said Astoria going slightly pink in the cheeks.

Harry went silent for a moment before flashing her a grateful smile.

"Thanks Tori" said Harry.

Astoria nodded and carried on walking.

"Oh god, why can't I talk to him without making a damn fool of myself any more?" thought Astoria.

"Are you alright Tori?" said Harry sounding a little concerned.

Astoria nodded.

"Just fine" said Astoria quickly.

Harry was about to reply but nodded instead.

"Okay, if your sure" said Harry.

Astoria looked down at her feet for a few moments.

"Why can't I just bring myself to tell you I love you Harry" thought Astoria sadly.

She straightened up as the two carried on walking back towards Gryffindor Tower.


	34. Chapter 34

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

21st November 1994

Alex and Susan made their way along the stands towards a row of seats in the large circular arena to watch the first task.

The circular arena was rather large filled with hundreds of seats along with a large white tent on one side where the Champions were located. At the base of the seats thirty feet below them was a rocky arena floor with several large pointy dark stone rocks and small walkways. In the centre of the arena was an empty nest surrounded by smaller rocks. Underneath the Champions tent was a large black gate leading to a pitch black cavern.

Alex and Susan sat down in the row of seats and rubbed their hands in an effort to keep them warm.

They looked to their left as Daphne, Astoria, Dorcas, Luna, Tracey and Blaise sat down next to them.

"Blimey its cold" said Blaise shivering slightly.

Tracey nodded and pressed herself into him.

"Couldn't they at least add warming charms to the seats or something?" said Tracey in a slightly annoyed tone.

Alex glanced up and down the row.

"Has anyone seen Harry and the others?" said Alex.

"Yeah, I saw him, Joe and Katie stood with the Twins, those two fools are taking bets on how each Champion will do" said Daphne.

"Bets?" said Dorcas in confusion.

Daphne nodded.

"Yeah, they've been giving these odds to students and trying to get them to bet on Champions" said Daphne.

"Eager to make a bit of money it looks like" said Astoria lazily.

Alex chuckled.

"Typical, probably a good way to make money off of slightly gullible students" said Alex.

"Yeah, and Weasley's just put five Galleons on Cedric to last about three minutes" said a familiar voice from behind them.

They looked up to see Harry, Joe and Katie sat behind them.

"So your telling us that Ronald Weasley just put five Galleons on Cedric to last a measly three minutes, is that what you just said Harry?" said Dorcas in slight disbelief.

"Sounds too good to be true doesn't it?" said Joe jokingly.

"Sounds unlikely more like" said Susan.

"He might not be the brightest of people, but even he wouldn't be stupid enough to make a bet like that" said Alex.

Daphne and Astoria chuckled as Joe and Katie pulled a few bottles of butterbeer out of Katie's bag and started handing them out.

"Come on, this is Ron Weasley your talking about" said Daphne.

"The boy who wanted to polish Viktor Krum's wand without realising exactly what that meant" said Astoria.

Alex and Susan spat their butterbeer out of their mouths.

"He wanted to what?" said Alex in shock.

Harry, Joe and Katie looked at each other before Joe leaned forward.

Alex and Susan could not stop laughing as Joe told them the full conversation Ron had with them at the Halloween feast.

By the end of it the entire group sans Harry, Joe and Katie were laughing as they shared bottles of butterbeer and sweets waiting for the task to start.

Dorcas leaned across Astoria in the direction of Alex.

"Have you seen Mum and Dad yet?" said Dorcas.

Alex looked at her.

"I think they said they would be in that large tent thing with the teachers and the Minister" said Alex gesturing his head towards a large awning covering a section of the stands.

As they were talking most of the people in the stands turned to face Dumbledore who appeared at the entrance to the Champions tent.

He placed his wand against his neck amplifying his voice.

"Your attention please… this task involves great and considerable danger, please keep your seats at all times and follow any instructions given by any member of staff or Ministry personnel, the first task will begin shortly" said Dumbledore in a magically amplified voice.

The group leaned forwards in their seats as Dumbledore went back into the Champions tent.

They could not have been prepared enough for what they were about to witness next.

A small group of witches and wizards dressed in fire protected robes walked into the arena carrying several dark coloured eggs along with a shiny gold egg.

Once they placed them in the rock nest in the centre of the arena they disapparated.

"Oh dear" said Joe worryingly.

"What is it?" said Alex looking up at him.

Joe paled slightly.

"Dragon eggs" said Joe in a deathly voice.

Gasps of shock could be heard from the others.

"Are you sure?" said Susan.

Joe nodded before looking towards the gate under the Champions tent which swung open.

"And I bet that's their Mother coming out right now" said Joe.

The yellowy green snout of a large Swedish Short Snout dragon emerged from the cavern making a beeline for the nest of eggs.

Cheers and screams could be heard from the stands only to be drowned out by the deafening roar of the dragon as it sat down protectively on its eggs.

Several Dragon Handlers conjured thick chains around the dragons neck binding it to the rock preventing it from flying too far away.

Once their work was completed the Dragon Handlers rushed back through the gate and shut it.

Barely a few minutes passed before the sound of a cannon caused more cheers to erupt from the stands.

The group spotted Cedric emerging from some steps near the Champions tent as chants of "Diggory" started to be heard from the crowd.

Cedric was dressed in yellow and black robes with the Hufflepuff Badger on his back. He was clutching his wand and had a look of mild fear on his face.

Strangely enough the dragon did not have a big reaction to Cedric's appearance only looking at him for a few moments before turning away like a passive dog.

"Strange, Nesting Mother's are usually very wary of those approaching their nests" said Joe as Cedric pulled his wand out and slowly walked towards the dragon.

Everyone in the crowd watched in anticipation as Cedric slowly transfigured a nearby rock into a large black Labrador.

Whatever Cedric had planned seemed to work as the dragon started to move towards the Labrador.

Cedric took this as his cue and moved towards the egg.

The entire crowd went tense as the dragon suddenly turned back to Cedric just before he could touch the egg.

"Oh shit" muttered Harry as the dragon opened its mouth.

A jet of fire shot towards Cedric as he picked the egg up and hurled himself behind a large rock.

The crowd cheered as the Dragon Handlers rushed into the arena and subdued the dragon.

Cedric moved out from behind the rock holding his egg in one hand while his left arm and left leg were singed from the dragons fire.

He raised his egg as the cheers in the ground got louder and louder before he hobbled over to the stairway leading to the medical tent.

Once the dragon had been subdued the Dragon Handlers guided it back through the gate below the Champions tent before bringing a large dark green Welsh Green out of the gate.

The crowd watched in anticipation as Fleur managed to put the dragon to sleep with an extremely complex spell before going for her egg.

Unfortunately the dragon sneezed fire onto her robes as she grabbed the egg and ran away singing the right side of her body below the neck.

Krum went next trying to get past a large red Chinese Fireball.

He went straight for the dragon hitting it in the eye with a Conjunctivitus Curse which caused the dragon to stumble backwards and thrash around roaring in pain.

Unfortunately this caused the dragon to squash most of its eggs before Krum was able to grab his golden egg and get away from the thrashing dragon.

The cheers for Krum's success was easily the most deafening as the Bulgarian Quidditch star just skulked out of the arena carrying his egg.

The fourth and final dragon to emerge through the gate was the one that shocked the crowd the most.

The dragon was large and dark brown in colour. It was covered in bronze coloured spikes along with a large spiky mace shaped tail.

"Is that a?" said Harry in shock.

"A Hungarian Horntail" said Joe in shock as the very large and angry dragon was fastened down with the usual chains.

"Is that bad?" said Dorcas.

Joe nodded.

"That's one of the nastiest dragons in the world, its back end is just as dangerous as its front" said Joe in a shocked voice.

The others locked eyes on the Horntail's spiky tail and gasped.

"And Longbottom has to face that" said Daphne in shock.

Alex nodded with a shocked look as the cannon blast signalled for Neville to enter the arena.

"Poor bloke, going up against that" said Alex.

Neville appeared at the bottom of the steps and suddenly went white at the sight of the Hungarian Horntail.

Neville remained still for several moments before finally pulling his wand out and aiming it at the Horntail.

"Fool" muttered Joe.

Neville suddenly started firing several Conjunctivitus Curses at the Horntail causing it to get increasingly agitated and rise to its feet preparing to attack him.

Whether it was by dumb luck or great fortune Neville managed to hit it in both eyes with Conjunctivitus Curses knocking it backwards causing it to crush nearly all of its eggs.

Neville immediately sprinted forwards and grabbed his golden egg.

Unfortunately as he was running away he was struck in his side by the flailing wing of the Horntail knocking him ten feet to the ground.

Dumbledore ran into the arena to help him as Dragon Handlers rushed into subdue the dragon.

The crowd cheered as Dumbledore helped Neville out of the arena towards the Medical tent.

Chatter broke out amongst the stands for the next ten minutes before Dumbledore joined the rest of the judges to give out the scores for the Champions.

Fleur went first and received a score of 24 even with a top mark score from Madame Maxime.

Krum went second and received a score of 33 thanks to top mark score from Karkaroff.

Cedric went third and received the highest score of 43.

Neville went fourth and received a lower score of 34 thanks to top mark scores from Dumbledore and Ludo Bagman.

That put Cedric in the lead, Neville in second, Krum in third and Fleur in fourth.

Once the scores had been given Dumbledore stood up to address the crowd once again.

"Congratulations Champions, the next task will take place on February 18th, you have until then to figure out the clue in your golden egg in time for the second task, farewell" said Dumbledore.

He turned and disappeared back into the crowd.

Alex and the others stood up and made their way out of the stands.

Harry, Alex, Susan and Dorcas left the others and headed towards the staff tent to look for Sirius and Marlene.

They caught up with the pair talking to Mcgonagall.

Marlene turned around and spotted them.

"What are you guys doing here, I thought you'd be going back up to the castle with your friends" said Marlene in surprise.

"Thought we'd come and say hello first" said Alex.

The four walked over to Sirius and Marlene.

Mcgonagall said goodbye to the pair and left them.

Sirius and Marlene turned back to the four.

"Why don't we go for a walk?" said Sirius.

The six of them walked out of the stands and headed in the direction of the castle.

"So you four, has anything strange happened around here lately, other than Neville being chosen as Champion" said Sirius.

"Other than Moody's insane teaching methods you mean?" said Alex.

Sirius chuckled slightly.

"Come on, I know Moody went a bit paranoid but what he was doing can't have been that bad" said Sirius.

"What about using Unforgivables on students, namely the Imperious Curse" said Alex.

"He was doing what?" said Marlene in a mix of shock and anger.

"He put every student in our class under the Imperious Curse and had us try and fight it off" said Susan.

Sirius and Marlene both looked shocked at this.

"Well, I think it might be worth having a chat with Professor Moody" said Sirius.

"You can talk to him about this later, right now you can spend some time with our children" said Marlene.

Sirius glanced at her.

"Of course" said Sirius.

The six of them kept on walking and talking on their way up to the castle.

 _Later that night…_

Harry, Joe, Katie and Astoria were stood together among the masses of Gryffindor Students in the Gryffindor Common Room celebrating Neville's success in the first task.

The Twins hoisted Neville onto their shoulders who was sporting a sling on his left arm and holding his egg in his right hand.

Neville tossed it into the crowd where students passed it around.

"Knew you wouldn't die Neville" shouted Fred.

"Lose a leg" shouted George.

"Or an arm" shouted Fred.

"But pack it in all together" shouted George.

"Never" shouted the Twins in unison.

More cheers erupted from around the room.

"Haha" shouted Fred.

Seamus caught the egg.

"Shut up… go on Neville, what's the clue?" shouted Seamus.

He tossed the egg back to Neville who caught it.

"Who thinks I should open it?" shouted Neville.

There was a huge chorus of "Yes" around the room.

"Want me to open it?" shouted Neville excitedly.

There was another chorus of "Yes" from the students.

Neville laughed and opened the egg.

A gut wrenching wail/shriek erupted from the egg which contained a glass case filled with some sort of bubble like liquid.

"What the bloody hell was that?" shouted the voice of Ron from the entrance to the doors.

Everyone in the room turned to face Ron who had just walked down the stairs.

The entire room went silent for a few moments.

"Alright everyone, go back to your knitting" said George.

"This is going to be awkward enough without you nosy sods listening in" said Fred.

Harry and the others walked over to the settee's sitting down in front of the fireplace.

29th November 1994

Harry, Joe and Katie made their way into the large classroom.

Professor Mcgonagall and Mr Filch were stood in the centre of the room next to an old fashioned record player along with several chairs circled around the edge of the room.

Several of the other Gryffindor students were already sat down on the chairs including Neville and Ron.

The girls were sat on one side of the room while the boys were on the other.

Neville who still had a sling on his left arm was talking to Ron.

Harry and Joe stood next to the Twins in the corner of the room with Lee just behind Neville and Ron.

Once the three and the few remaining students took their seats Professor Mcgonagall called for their attention.

"On Christmas Day night, we and our guests will gather in the Great Hall for a night of well mannered frivolity, the Yule Ball, a chance for us to let our hair down and enjoy ourselves with our guests, the Yule Ball, is first and foremost, a dance" said Mcgonagall.

This had mixed reactions around the room as the girls looked excited while most of the boys did not like it.

"Silence" shouted Mcgonagall.

The room fell silent once again.

"The House of Godric Gryffindor has commanded the respect of the wizard world for nearly ten centuries, I will not have you in the course of a single evening besmirching that name by behaving like a babbling bumbling band of the boos" said Mcgonagall.

"Try saying that five times fast" whispered George.

He and George started whispering **"** Babbling bumbling band of the boos" rapidly.

"The dance… is to let the body, breathe, and inside every girl a secret swan is lumbering longing to burst forth with rejoice… and inside every boy a lordly lion prepares to prance" said Mcgonagall fondly.

She turned to look at Ron.

"Mr Weasley" said Mcgonagall walking towards him causing him to look up at her.

"Yes" said Ron in slight worry.

Mcgonagall held her hand out to him causing sniggers to break out from the students.

"Will you join me please?" said Mcgonagall causing the sniggers to get louder.

Neville helped a nervous Ron to his feet as Harry and the others started to laugh.

Mcgonagall led Ron over to the centre of the room.

"Now… place your right hand on my waist" said Mcgonagall.

Ron's eyes glanced around the room.

"Where?" said Ron in shock.

"My waist" said Mcgonagall.

Harry wolf whistled as Ron nervously placed his hand on Mcgonagall's waist.

"Now extend your arm" said Mcgonagall taking Ron's left hand and extending their arms outwards.

Chuckles could be heard around the room while Ron glared at various students.

"Mr Filch if you please" said Mcgonagall.

Filch turned on the record player which started playing some slow ballroom music.

Mcgonagall looked at Ron.

"One, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three" said Mcgonagall as she started leading Ron around the dance floor.

The Twins started mock dancing as Joe turned to them.

"Your not gonna let him forget this are you?" said Joe smirking.

"Never" said the Twins in unison.

"Everyone come together… boys on their feet" said Mcgonagall as the girls stood up but the boys didn't move.

"Unbelievable" said Harry.

He started walking towards the dance floor over to where Katie was stood with Angelina and Alicia.

"Any volunteers?" said Harry cheekily.

Angelina smirked.

"Come on then Potter" said Angelina.

Harry took her hands and started to dance with her.

The dance session carried on for the next half an hour before Mcgonagall allowed them to leave.

Harry, Joe and Katie walked out of the room and along the corridor.

Joe turned to Harry.

"So Harry, any ideas on who your gonna take to the ball, now that Marietta's out of the question" said Joe.

Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"No idea, guess I'll have to make my mind up and choose someone, what about you?" said Harry.

Joe chuckled and turned to Katie.

"Wanna go to the ball with me Katie?" said Joe.

Katie laughed before nodding.

"Sure why not" said Katie shrugging her shoulders.

Joe smirked and turned back to Harry.

"There you go, now who you gonna ask?" said Joe.

"Leave him be Joseph, he hasn't got a clue about who to take to the ball" said Katie.

Joe chuckled as Harry rolled his eyes.

As they were walking through the corridor Harry heard someone call out to him.

"Hey Harry, can I have a word?"

Harry and the others turned to the direction of the voice.

Dorcas was stood leaning on the railing near the staircase.

"Sure, I'll see you guys in a bit" said Harry walking over to Dorcas.

Joe and Katie walked over to the staircase and down the stairs.

Harry leaned on the railing next to Dorcas.

"What do you need?" said Harry.

Dorcas sighed.

"Any idea who your taking to the ball yet?" said Dorcas.

Harry groaned slightly.

"Not you too, and no, okay" said Harry.

Dorcas breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, maybe I can help you with that" said Dorcas.

Harry sighed.

"Help me, how?" said Harry.

Dorcas smirked.

"Well… I happen to know someone who you could go with, someone who'd love to go with you" said Dorcas.

"Who?" said Harry.

Dorcas turned to him.

"Astoria" said Dorcas.

Harry sharply turned to her.

"Astoria, why her?" said Harry.

Dorcas looked at him in disbelief.

"Why her, come on Harry, are you really that dense?" said Dorcas giving him a questioning look.

Harry knew what she was referring to.

"Because she fancies me, yeah I know" said Harry.

"She really likes you Harry, she's just scared that you'll reject her, why not take her to the ball, she'd love to go with you, I think she wants you to ask her" said Dorcas.

Harry moved closer to her.

"I don't know" said Harry.

Dorcas placed her hand on his arm.

"Come on Harry, what have you got to lose, she likes you, your good friends, you guys would have a great time if you went together" said Dorcas.

Harry sighed.

"Maybe I'll think about it, okay" said Harry.

Dorcas sighed and nodded.

"It would mean a lot to her Harry" said Dorcas.

Harry straightened up.

"I'll think about it" said Harry.

"Okay, come on, lets get some lunch" said Dorcas straightening up and taking his arm.

Harry chuckled and the two walked along the corridor.

 _Later that afternoon…_

Alex and Susan were sat down on one of the benches in the courtyard.

Alex turned to her with a smile on his face as she against his shoulder.

"So, you looking forward to the Yule Ball?" said Alex.

"Yeah, dinner, dancing, music, Christmas Day, what's not to like?" said Susan.

Alex smiled.

"Wanna go with me?" said Alex.

Susan chuckled and kissed him.

"Like you even need to ask, of course" said Susan.

Alex kissed her.

"Good" said Alex.

The two stayed like that for what felt like forever before walking back into the castle.

2nd December 1994

Harry and Astoria panted slightly as they concluded their latest practice session in the Room Of Requirement.

"Your getting better and better, your reactions are quicker and your shield charms are stronger" said Harry fondly.

Astoria smiled and put away her wand.

"Your too kind Harry" said Astoria jokingly.

"Its true" said Harry putting his wand away.

She smiled and started brushing traces of dust off of her robes.

Harry watched her as she wiped the dust off of her sleeves.

"What have I got to lose taking her to the Ball if I asked her" thought Harry.

Astoria locked eyes with him for a second and smiled.

"I mean… I know she's fancied me for years, and I haven't really thought about who I'm going to take" thought Harry.

Astoria straightened herself up.

"I'll see you later then Harry" said Astoria slightly nervously as she noticed he was still watching her.

Harry nodded.

"Yeah, I guess I will" said Harry.

Astoria smiled and started walking towards the door.

"Oh what the hell, at least I'd have a better time going with her than someone who just wants to use me" thought Harry.

He started walking towards Astoria as she reached the door.

"Tori, could you wait a moment?" said Harry.

Astoria turned around.

"What is it Harry?" said Astoria smiling slightly.

Harry swallowed and carried on walking towards her.

"Tori… would you… would you?" said Harry slightly nervously.

"Would I what?" said Astoria with a smile tugging at her lips.

Harry straightened up as he came to a halt in front of her.

"Would you like to go to the Ball with me?" said Harry.

Astoria's face lit up and she cracked a smile.

"Oh my god, did I hear that right?" thought Astoria.

Harry looked at her with a questioning look before she straightened up and nodded.

"Me, you want me to go to the Yule Ball with you" said Astoria not quite believing what she heard.

Harry nodded.

"Yes you, I want you to be my date for the Yule Ball" said Harry locking eyes with her.

Astoria smiled and blushed.

"I'd love t-, I mean… I'd like that very much Harry… I'll be your date for the Ball" said Astoria excitedly.

Harry smiled.

"Good, and I'm sure we'll have a good time" said Harry with a hint of nervousness.

Astoria smiled before suddenly leaning forward and kissing his cheek.

Harry was caught off guard by that but managed a small smile.

"I don't doubt that Harry" said Astoria smiling.

"Maybe the Ball will give me the courage I need, and hopefully you feel the same way" thought Astoria.

She smiled at him.

"I'll see you later then" said Astoria.

"See you later" said Harry.

The two smiled and walked out of the room before heading off in different directions.

 _Later that night…_

Harry walked back into his dorm room to go to bed.

Joe was already there sat on his bed reading one of his textbooks.

"So, you finally gonna tell me who your date is?" said Joe jokingly.

Harry walked over to his trunk opening it and pulling his pyjamas out.

"Its Astoria" sad Harry plainly.

Joe smirked.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that" said Joe.

"What were you expecting?" said Harry plainly as he shut his trunk.

"What made you ask her then?" said Joe.

Harry turned to face him.

"We're good friends, why not?" said Harry.

"Just good friends, you sure she doesn't want anything more?" said Joe.

"We're just friends Joe, and yes I know she likes me" said Harry walking towards the door leading to the showers.

Joe smirked as Harry walked out of the door.

"Sure Harry, just good friends" said Joe.


	35. Chapter 35

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

10th December 1994

Harry and Fleur were walked through the castle doors into the courtyard.

"So Arry… do you have a date for the Ball yet?" said Fleur in a slightly flirty voice.

Harry chuckled.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but yes, I do" said Harry.

Fleur looked at him with slight disappointment.

"Shame, I would have gone with you had you asked me" said Fleur teasingly.

Harry laughed.

"Yeah I kinda got the message at the World Cup, not exactly sure my girlfriend at the time liked that" said Harry jokingly.

Fleur smirked.

"She wasn't good enough for you Arry, too jealous, and stuck up from what I heard" said Fleur.

"That she was, we were over shortly after the World Cup, turned out to be a great decision" said Harry as the two continued walking through the courtyard.

"Well… if you won't take me to the ball, I hope you will at least owe me a dance, as repayment for turning me down no?" said Fleur in a teasing voice.

Harry smirked.

"Well, I guess I could spare you one dance, as long as my date doesn't mind of course, given that I am taking her to the ball" said Harry.

"Good enough, because she is a very lucky girl" said Fleur.

"If you say so" said Harry.

Fleur was about to reply when footsteps from behind them caught her attention.

The two turned around to see Ron marching up to them with a crazy dazed look in his eyes.

"Go to the ball with me!" shouted Ron in a dreamy trance like voice.

Harry just managed to stifle his laughter while Fleur looked at Ron with disgust.

"No, I would not go to the ball with a childish little boy like you" said Fleur haughtily.

Harry had to admit. A part of him felt a little sorry for Ron right then and there.

Ron suddenly had a panicked look on his face and ran back into the castle as laughter erupted from around the courtyard.

Harry turned to Fleur who managed to calm down.

"Stupid weak little boys, why can't all men in this school be strong like you Arry?" said Fleur.

Harry sighed.

"One of life's mysteries I suppose" said Harry.

Fleur sent him a curious smile.

"You know him, don't you?" said Fleur.

Harry nodded.

"Unfortunately, I do" said Harry.

Fleur made a mock look of hurt.

"Poor you" said Fleur jokingly.

Harry chuckled.

"Yeah, listen I gotta scoot, I'll see you later on okay" said Harry stepping away from her.

Fleur smiled at him.

"Yeah you will" said Fleur in a teasing voice.

Harry just laughed and walked back inside the castle.

 _Meanwhile…_

Alex, Susan, Daphne, Tracey and Blaise were sat in the library doing their homework.

They were working in silence until Tracey turned to Daphne with a smirk on her face.

"So Daph… are you gonna tell us who's taking you to the Ball yet?" said Tracey.

Alex and Susan looked at Daphne.

Daphne rolled her eyes and turned to Tracey.

"How many times Tracey, I'm not going to tell you, you'll have to wait until the Ball to find out" said Daphne in a bored voice.

"As many times as it takes until you finally tell us" said Tracey.

"Come on Daph, why don't you just tell us, surely it can't be bad" said Susan.

Daphne smirked.

"I never said it was bad, I'm just choosing not to tell you guys" said Daphne.

"Come on, you know who we're all going with, but we don't know who your going with, that's not exactly fair" said Tracey.

"No, its not fair, but I'm still not telling, good things come to those who wait" said Daphne smirking as she opened another textbook.

Tracey sighed.

"Fine, I'm just surprised you won't tell us, I mean, everyone knows who your little sister is going with, but you won't tell us who your going with" said Tracey.

Daphne chuckled.

"That's because Tori would shout it from the rooftops if she could, I think she was a little shocked when she got asked" said Daphne jokingly.

Susan smirked.

"Yeah well, when a guy you have a massive crush on asks you to the Ball, you tend to get a little shocked at first" said Susan.

"Why do you think Harry asked her then?" said Tracey.

Alex glanced at Susan.

"Because someone suggested it to him" thought Alex holding back a smirk.

Daphne saw this and smirked.

"What are you not telling us Black?" said Daphne testily.

Alex locked eyes with her.

"I'm afraid that's a secret" said Alex.

Daphne mock glared at him.

"That's too bad, I guess I'll have to cash in on that little piece of blackmail I have on you, you know exactly what I mean" said Daphne cockily.

Alex paled slightly.

"You can't do that, Snape will murder me" said Alex.

Daphne smirked.

"Then I guess you'll have to spill your secret then" said Daphne.

Alex smirked.

"You threatened me with that before, and Snape didn't do anything to me, your not getting that secret out of me" said Alex cockily.

Daphne glared at him before smirking.

"Alright, you win Black" said Daphne.

"I know exactly what happened, and who to talk to" thought Daphne smirking.

Alex looked at her and sighed before returning to his work.

They carried on working in silence for the next ten minutes before Daphne closed her textbook.

"Alright, I'm finished, I'll see you guys later" said Daphne.

She stood up and placed her books, parchment, quills and ink back into her book bag.

"Where are you going?" said Tracey as Daphne picked up her book bag.

"I have somewhere I need to be" said Daphne.

She slung her book bag around her shoulder and walked away from the table.

Tracey looked at the others.

"What's with her?" said Tracey watching Daphne walk out of the library.

Alex sighed.

"She's going to talk to Dorcas" thought Alex.

"Probably gone to speak to Harry, wants to find out why he asked Astoria, who knows?" said Susan lazily.

Tracey simply shrugged her shoulders.

"Who do you think she's going to the ball with then?" said Tracey looking around the table.

Susan sighed.

"No idea, but its her choice on whether or not to tell us" said Susan.

"I know its her choice, but I can't help it if I'm a little bit nosy" said Tracey.

"Just a little bit" said Blaise.

Tracey mock glared at him and kissed him.

"I'm her best friend, that gives me a right to be nosy" said Tracey.

Alex and the others chuckled before returning to their work.

 _Later that afternoon…_

Daphne spotted Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table with Joe, Katie, the Twins, Lee, Angelina and Alicia and started walking towards them.

Daphne stopped as Harry looked up at her.

She gestured for him to follow her with her head and turned around.

Harry got up to follow her as she left the hall.

He followed her out of the hall and into the courtyard.

Daphne stopped in the middle of the courtyard and turned to face him.

"So Harry… what exactly made you decide to ask my sister to the Yule Ball?" said Daphne sternly folding her arms.

Harry walked up to her.

"We're good friends, and I wanted to go with someone who wanted to go with me as a person, not an object" said Harry.

Daphne gave him a piercing questioning look and smirk.

"You wanted a date who wouldn't objectify you… that still doesn't explain why you chose my sister, and we both know what I mean" said Daphne sternly.

Harry sighed.

"Of course I know that she likes me, she's not exactly subtle about it, and yes I think I got her hopes for us up by asking her to the ball, but we're still good friends at the end of the day, I know I'd have a good time with her" said Harry.

Daphne sighed.

"I don't doubt she'd have a good time with you Harry, I just don't want to see her get hurt" said Daphne.

Harry locked eyes with her.

"Do you think I would hurt her?" said Harry sternly.

"Not intentionally no… but I don't know how well she'd take it if you rejected her, given that she is your date, she probably thinks you might share the same feelings for her" said Daphne.

Harry sighed.

"Look, I did think about it for a good while before I asked her, and I promised her that she would have a good time with me, no matter what happens, I'll be honest with her, and I won't disappoint her" said Harry sternly.

Daphne nodded.

"Okay, I know you well enough to know that you'll show her a good time, but if you hurt her, I'll kick your ass, understand" said Daphne in an icy voice for the last part.

Harry nodded.

Daphne smiled and gave him a quick hug.

"I'm glad you asked her Harry, it means a lot to her that she gets to go with you, even if you only started to think about it when Dorcas told you to take Tori" said Daphne.

Harry smiled.

"Your welcome, why don't we head back inside, given that you pulled me away from my lunch" said Harry.

Daphne chuckled.

"Stop complaining, you can have your lunch with me" said Daphne.

The two walked back towards the castle entrance.

As they walked through the castle doors Daphne turned to face him.

"I hope you know how to dance Harry, since Tori loves dancing" said Daphne smirking.

Harry chuckled.

"I know a trick or two when it comes to dancing" said Harry.

"Good, then you better make sure my sister sees all of them before the night is over" said Daphne.

Harry winked at her.

"Oh she will… now, how about you clear something up for me, if I agree to keep it a secret" said Harry cheekily.

Daphne pursed her lips at him.

"No, I'm not telling you who my date is Harry, Tracey has already bugged me about it earlier" said Daphne sternly.

Harry arched his eyebrow at her.

"Come on, surely you can tell me, I won't tell anyone, I promise" said Harry.

Daphne rolled her eyes.

"Sorry Harry, if you want to know who my date is, keep a sharp eye at the ball" said Daphne patting his arm.

Harry chuckled and the two walked into the great hall.

19th December 1994

Alex, Susan and Fleur walked into the village of Hogsmeade which was covered in a blanket of snow.

Susan and Alex were holding hands while Fleur was walking next to them.

"So… what do you do for fun when you come here?" said Fleur looking around at the village.

"All sorts, there's plenty of shops, two pubs, among other things" said Susan.

"Just stay away from Madam Puddifoots" grumbled Alex.

"What is Madam Puddifoots?" said Fleur in slight confusion.

Susan chuckled.

"Its a couples only tearoom, not exactly your favourite place in the world, was it baby?" said Susan punching Alex's arms playfully.

"That's cos its too girly for me" said Alex.

Fleur and Susan laughed.

"Aww, does the big strong Alex Black hate girly café's?" said Fleur teasingly.

Alex grumbled.

"Besides there's plenty of other places we can go, like Gladrag's, all the latest fashion, might find something you like" said Susan with a wicked smile as she turned to Alex.

Alex sighed.

"Fine, I guess I'll carry your bags" said Alex.

"Good boy" said Fleur winking at him.

Alex let out a small groan.

"Lets go then" said Alex.

Susan grabbed one of his arms and smirked while Fleur grabbed the other.

"Come on Alex" said Fleur.

"Shopping to be done, and you need to carry our bags, and your not making Kreacher take the bags like last time" said Susan as she and Fleur marched him down the street earning snickers and chuckles from the other students as they passed them.

"Kreacher?" said Fleur in slight confusion.

"My Family's foul mouthed beast of a House Elf" said Alex.

Fleur slowly nodded.

"Okay" said Fleur as they approached the line of shops.

"Here we are" said Susan letting go of Alex's arm.

Fleur let go of Alex's arm and followed Susan inside the shop.

Alex sighed and followed them inside.

He waited for them for the next half an hour as they went on a shopping spree before they paid up and handed the six bags of shopping.

The three of them walked out of the shop where Alex placed the bags on the floor.

Susan and Fleur looked at him with their arms folded.

"Too heavy for you baby?" said Susan cheekily.

"I thought you were big and strong" said Fleur teasingly.

"You forgot smart" said Alex pulling out his wand.

He shrunk all of the bags to pocket size and placed them in the pockets of his coat.

Susan and Fleur looked slightly surprised as he put his wand away.

Alex smirked.

"You didn't really think I was going to carry all those bags did you?" said Alex cheekily.

Susan chuckled while Fleur smirked at him.

"Where do you want to go next then?" said Alex walking over to them and taking Susan's hand before kissing her.

"Fancy a drink at the Three Broomsticks, or do you want to have a look around some more of the shops?" said Susan.

"What other shops are there?" said Fleur looking around.

"There's Zonko's joke shop, Honeydukes sweet shop, a couple of school supply shops, Quality Quidditch Supplies, and a few others" said Alex.

"And this Three Broomsticks, what is that like?" said Fleur.

"Its the main pub, most of the students and teachers go there for a drink and food" said Susan.

Fleur thought about it for a few moments.

"A drink sounds good" said Fleur.

"Okay, lets go" said Alex.

The three continued walking through the village until they came to a halt in front of the Three Broomsticks.

"Not really the sort of place I'd go for a drink" said Fleur looking at the pub.

"Wait until you get inside, you might like it" said Susan.

"Okay, I'll take your word for it" said Fleur.

The three walked inside the pub and quickly found a small table in the centre of the pub and sat down.

"I'll get us some drinks" said Alex removing his coat and placing it on the back of the chair.

Susan and Fleur nodded as they removed their coats placing them on their chairs.

Susan watched Alex walk up to the bar before turning to Fleur.

"So… who did you agree to go to the ball with in the end?" said Susan with a small smirk on her face.

Fleur sent her a knowing smile.

"This boy in Alex's house, Davies I think his name was, tall, handsome" said Fleur.

Susan frowned slightly.

"Roger Davies, in Sixth Year?" said Susan.

"Yes, that's him" said Fleur cheekily.

Susan sighed.

"A word of warning Fleur, he's an airhead and a bully" said Susan.

Fleur was slightly shocked before smirking.

"Well, he was a little dazed when he asked me, I doubt I will be spending much time in his company on the night, perhaps I could ditch him after the opening dance" said Fleur jokingly.

Susan chuckled as Alex placed three glasses of butterbeer on the table before sitting down.

"Butterbeer, best drink in here, try it Fleur" said Alex sliding the butterbeer across the table to her.

Fleur slowly picked up the glass and took a sip.

She tasted it before giving a look of approval.

"It is different, but nice" said Fleur before having another drink.

Alex and Susan picked up their glasses and had a drink.

The three put their glasses down as Madam Rosmerta made her way over to them.

"Young Mr Black, Miss Bones, Miss Delacour, can I fetch you some food today, I've got a discount on Christmas dinners" said Madam Rosmerta.

"We're fine for now Madam Rosmerta" said Susan.

"Okay, give me a shout if you change your mind" said Madam Rosmerta.

She walked away from them towards another table full of patrons.

The three stayed for a few drinks before leaving to have another look around the shops.

As they walked back into the street Alex felt something hit him in the back.

As he turned around he saw a snowball hit Susan in the shoulder.

"Very funny guys" said Alex as he laid eyes on the culprits.

The Weasley Twins and Lee.

The three boys were laughing and preparing some more snowballs.

"Easy targets" said Fred jokingly.

George suddenly threw another snowball at them.

Alex and the others ducked causing the snowball to sail over their heads.

"Who threw that?" snarled a familiar voice from behind them causing the three boys to go pale.

Snape was stood behind Alex and was angrily brushing snow off of his face.

The Twins and Lee suddenly turned tail and ran back up the street laughing.

Alex, Susan and Fleur quickly walked away from Snape before he could shout at them too.

"Those three are so dead" said Alex chuckling.

"So that Professor won't take that as a joke" said Fleur cautiously.

Alex and Susan laughed.

"Snape treats jokes like he treats shampoo, he doesn't like either of them" said Alex.

Fleur laughed.

"Oh my god, I thought his hair looked a little bit greasy, far too thick to be anything but grease" said Fleur laughing slightly.

The three continued walking up the street back towards the shops.

 _Later that night…_

Harry, Joe and Katie walked back into the common room carrying their bags and noticed the Weasley Twins and Lee sat scowling on one of the settee's.

Harry and the others chuckled as they made their way towards them.

"So boys, how much detention did you get?" said Katie jokingly.

Fred scowled.

"Two weeks, starting after the holidays" grumbled Fred.

"Its not like we meant to hit him" grumbled George.

"Even if it was pretty funny" said Lee in a bitter voice.

"This is Snape your talking about" said Harry.

"The man who doesn't know what a joke is" said Katie.

"Greasy git wouldn't know a joke if it bit him in his greasy ass" said Fred bitterly.

"You got off lucky though, he could have given you more than two weeks" said Joe.

"Point taken" grumbled George.

Harry, Joe and Katie chuckled before sitting down on the settee opposite them.

25th December 1994

Astoria sat up in her bed and smiled.

"Its Christmas Morning" thought Astoria.

She felt the heat rush to her cheeks.

"And the day of the ball" thought Astoria.

She got out of bed and spotted a small box wrapped in dark red wrapping paper on her bedside table out of the corner of her eye.

She picked the box up and sat down on her bed with a slightly confused look on her face.

She tore the wrapping paper off and opened the box.

Inside the box there was a folded up piece of parchment.

She picked it up and unfolded it.

 _Happy Christmas Tori_

 _I got you these for tonight. Their not very glamorous or exquisite but its all they had in the shop. I hope your looking forward to tonight because I am._

 _Harry_

Astoria looked into the box which contained a pair of gold diamond shaped earrings with a single small diamond engraved in each one.

She smiled and pulled one of the earrings out looking at it.

"They're beautiful Harry, I hope I get what I want at the end of the night" thought Astoria.

She placed the earring back in the box and closed it before placing the box on her bedside table.

She got changed into a pair of jeans and a blue Christmas jumper before leaving the room.

She walked down into the common room and spotted Harry, Joe and Katie sat with the Weasley Twins, Lee, Leanne Porter, Angelina and Alicia.

They were all sat around the fireplace opening their presents and laughing with each other.

She made her way over to them and sat down next to Katie.

"Merry Christmas guys" said Astoria.

As the others wished her Merry Christmas Astoria locked eyes with Harry and smiled.

"Thank you" mouthed Astoria.

Harry smiled.

"Merry Christmas" mouthed Harry.

The group stayed in the common room unwrapping their presents for the next hour before walking down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Once they had finished their breakfast Harry and most of the others headed outside to the courtyard for a snowball fight.

Harry, Joe, Alex, Blaise, Fred, George, Lee along with some of the Fourth Year boys stood on one side of the courtyard while Katie, Angelina, Alicia, Tracey, Susan, Daphne, Astoria, Dorcas, Leanne Porter and the some of Fourth Year girls stood on the other side of the courtyard.

Alex laughed at a joke Fred told him before he hit Susan with a snowball.

He smirked when she glared at him.

"You better hope she doesn't kill you before the ball tonight" said Harry jokingly as he threw another snowball hitting Katie in the arm.

Alex was about to laugh before grunting in pain and clutching his groin before dropping to his knees.

Harry smirked when he saw that Susan was looking at the downed Alex with a triumphant smirk on her face.

"Told you so" said Harry.

Alex glared at him before covering his face as dozens of snowballs started pelting them at breakneck speed.

Harry looked up and saw Daphne and some of the other girls laughing as they enchanted snowballs to pelt the boys.

They continued their snowball fight for the next two hours before most of the others started to make their way back into the castle in groups.


	36. Chapter 36

**A Potter/Black Alliance**

25th December 1994

Alex stood outside the pile of barrels concealing the entrance to the Hufflepuff dormitory.

He was dressed in black dress robes with the Black family crest stitched onto his left breast pocket. He pulled his pocket watch out of his robes to check the time.

"She'll be out shortly Alex, you've checked that thing three times in the last ten minutes" said Cho who was stood next to him waiting for Cedric to exit the Hufflepuff dormitory.

She was dressed in a white and blue Chinese style dress with her hair tied in a bun.

Alex put the watch away.

Cedric walked out of the common room and over to Cho giving her a kiss a few seconds later.

He turned to Alex.

"She'll be out in a sec, she's just waiting for Hannah, your in for a real treat Black" said Cedric.

"You don't have to wait for me, you can go up if you want" said Alex.

"We'll wait, then we can all go up together" said Cho who had her arm wrapped around Cedric's waist.

"You sure you don't mind waiting" said Alex.

"Tired of us already, of course we don't mind waiting" said Cedric.

Alex was about to answer when the entrance opened again.

Ernie and Hannah walked out arm in arm followed by Justin and Sally-Anne, a tall thin boy Alex recognised as Zacharias Smith walking with Megan Jones and finally Susan who locked eyes with him as she walked out of the entrance.

He took one look at her and was rendered speechless.

She was dressed in a pink and turquoise blend sleeveless silk like gown which hugged her curves perfectly. Her long red hair was fastened into a simple braid behind her head as Alex saw the ruby necklace he had given her the previous Christmas hanging around her neck.

She was blushing slightly as she made her way over to him.

Alex took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

"Wow, you are definitely the most beautiful girl in our year, and that beauty just increased tenfold tonight" said Alex.

Susan went slightly red and kissed him.

Suddenly a fake cough caught their attention.

They turned to see Hannah smirking at them.

"Come on lovebirds, if you keep staring at each other you'll miss the ball" said Hannah causing the others to laugh slightly.

"Don't ruin the moment Hannah" said Susan jokingly who just laughed in reply.

They left the entrance to the Hufflepuff dorm and started making their way to the Great Hall.

 _Meanwhile in Gryffindor Tower…_

Harry and Joe were getting ready for the ball in their room. Harry had just finished putting on his dress robes while Joe was still in the process of putting his on.

Harry's dress robes were bottle green in colour with the Potter and Peverell crests stitched on the left breast pocket. He used some gel to slick his hair back to keep it tidy. As he knelt down to tie his shoelaces he saw that Joe had finally got his outer robe fastened up.

Joe's dress robes were cyan in colour and had the buttons fastened together quite high up his chest stopping just a few inches below the base of his neck. The main body of the robes ran all the way down to where the two ends parted just below his waist. The robes were rather simple and ran down to his kneecaps. He tied his shoulder length blonde hair into a short ponytail.

"You finally ready?" said Harry.

"Almost, just give me a sec" said Joe as he tied his shoelaces.

"Done" continued Joe standing up straight.

"Might as well go down then" said Harry.

"You nervous?" said Joe.

"A little, you?" said Harry.

Joe nodded.

"I really like her Harry, I don't want to disappoint her" said Joe.

"You won't mate, she'd never be disappointed with you, she'll have a great time with you tonight" said Harry.

Joe nodded.

"Come on, lets go downstairs" said Joe.

They left the room before walking down the stairs into the common room.

They spotted the Weasley Twins and Lee Jordan stood near the fire and made their way over to them.

They were stood talking with them for a few minutes before Fred and George turned to look at the staircase and started laughing slightly.

Harry and the others looked in that direction and tried to contain their laughter as Neville and Ron walked into the common room.

Ron's dress robes were surely over 200 years old. They were a horrible dark brown and orange with cream frills on the neck and the cuffs. Oddly enough there didn't seem to be any buttons fastening them together in the middle making them look like an old fashioned dress rather than dress robes. They had two deep pockets on the side of the robes that you could easily fit a small book inside.

Ron's ears started to go slightly red when he realised that they were laughing at his dress robes.

"Stop laughing" said Ron angrily.

This only made the twins laugh even more.

"Sorry Ronniekins, we can't help it" said Fred.

"You look older than Dumbledore in those robes" said George.

Ron's ears turned even more red.

"I'm sure your date will love them" said Harry laughing.

"She will if she likes older men, you'll find out soon enough" said Joe laughing.

Even Neville was struggling to contain his laughter now.

Ron stormed towards the common room entrance.

"Hold on Ronniekins" said George.

Ron growled and turned to face them.

"You can't leave without your date" said Fred.

"Surely you don't want to disappoint the lovely Miss Patil" said George.

Ron snarled and skulked off towards a chair sitting down and glaring at the fire.

Neville sighed and followed him as Katie, Angelina, Alicia and Leanne Porter appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

Joe stood staring at Katie in shock.

She was dressed in a gold strapless ballroom style dress which went down to her ankles along with matching gold ballroom gloves. She was wearing a silver diamond necklace around her neck with a gold chain on her left wrist.

Harry nudged him in the ribs as Katie made her way over to him.

"Its rude to stare you know, even if your date looks as beautiful as that" said Harry nodding his head towards Katie.

"You can say that again" said Joe breathlessly as Katie stopped in front of him.

Joe smiled.

"You look beautiful Katie, you'll turn so many heads tonight, as you've already turned mine" said Joe kissing her knuckles before offering her his arm.

Katie blushed slightly.

"You don't look too bad yourself" said Katie taking his arm as Angelina, Alicia and Leanne made their way over to Fred, George and Lee respectively.

The group stood talking to each other as Seamus and Dean made their way into the common room and stood next to Neville and Ron.

Lavander, Hermione and Parvati made their way down the stairs. Lavander went over to stand next to Seamus as Hermione and Parvati walked towards Ron and Neville.

Harry and Joe sniggered as they saw Parvati looking at Ron with a look of annoyance and slight disappointment on her face.

"I don't think she likes older men" whispered Harry.

"Or she doesn't like little boys pretending to be older men" whispered Joe.

"Maybe its just the robes" whispered Harry.

"Its probably both" whispered Joe.

Harry chuckled and turned to face the staircase as he saw Astoria walking down the stairs with Ginny and a black haired third year girl.

Harry looked slightly stunned.

Astoria was dressed in a strapless dark green dress that ruffled outwards from the waist down reaching her ankles. She had her hair curled and was wearing the gold earrings that he got her for Christmas along with a platinum bracelet on her right wrist.

She noticed him staring and blushed as she slowly made her way over to him.

"Its rude to stare Harry" said Joe chuckling slightly.

Harry lightly punched him in the shoulder as Astoria came to a halt on front of him.

"You look beautiful Tori" said Harry as he took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

Astoria went slightly red.

"Thank you Harry, you look really nice too" said Astoria nervously with her cheeks still slightly red.

Harry smiled and held out his arm to her as Ginny made her way over to stand next to Neville while the other third year girl went to stand next to Dean.

He noticed Colin and his brother walk into the common room. Colin was holding his camera and looking at Neville with excitement.

"Hey Colin, come here lad" said Harry.

Colin walked over to him.

"Get a picture of me and Tori please" said Harry wrapping his arm around Astoria's waist causing her to smile at him and repeat the gesture.

Colin took a few pictures of both of them as they smiled and held each other tightly for the camera.

Once Colin was done taking Harry's photos Harry got his attention again.

"I'll pay you to do pictures for all of us" said Harry.

Colin's eyes went wide and he nodded.

He took photos of each couple before doing group photos of all of them together, all the boys, all the girls and even decided to do it for Neville and the others.

Once he was done Harry turned to the others who were stood smirking at him.

"Shall we go down now?" said Harry.

"Of course, we'll let you and Miss Greengrass lead the way, it would do well to have such a cute couple at the front" said Angelina.

Harry and Astoria turned slightly red before linking arms again and walking out of the common room.

The others followed as they headed for the Great Hall.

Once they reached the Great Hall they saw Alex, Susan, Tracey and Blaise stood together near the doors and made their way over to them.

"Where's Daphne?" said Harry looking around for her.

"She has to wait over there with her date, we've only just found out who it is as well, see for yourself" said Tracey nodding her head towards the opposite corner.

Professor Mcgonagall was stood with Daphne and some other students as Neville and Ginny walked over to that corner as well.

Daphne was dressed in a sleeveless blue and white dress with her hair fastened into an elegant braid. Harry and the others were surprised to see her arm linked with Viktor Krum and even more surprised to see that she was smiling and talking to him as if he was no stranger to her.

"Wow, no wonder she kept it secret, she's a champions date" said Harry.

"She didn't even tell me who was taking her, but she's really enjoying herself, that's probably the most I've seen her smiling for a while" said Astoria.

Professor Flitwick appeared next to them and told them to go into the Great Hall.

They walked into the Great Hall and looked around in amazement.

The hall was filled with large circular tables adorned with plates, cutlery, crystal glasses and empty pitchers. The floor was covered in white snow like material as fairy lights illuminated the room. At the top of the hall there was a long rectangular table for the champions, headmasters and ministry officials. The Christmas trees from this morning were still stood in the top corners of the hall but were now coated in the same snow like material that was on the floor.

They immediately spotted a 16 seat table in the middle of the great hall and sat down at it.

Harry held Astoria's seat out for her before sitting down next to her. They turned to look towards the doors which closed when the rest of the students had walked into the hall and sat down.

The two were talking as the doors opened a few minutes later.

The band started playing a loud instrumental marching song as the students started clapping when the four Champions walked in with their dates.

Fleur was stood at the front with a glossy eyed Roger Davies, Krum and Daphne were stood behind them, Cedric and Cho were behind them with Neville and Ginny at the back.

The Champions made their way up to the top table and sat down as the music stopped playing and the people on the champions table picked up the menus ordering food that appeared on their plates.

The pitchers on the table suddenly filled up with water and Butterbeer.

Harry and the others picked up their menus.

"Pork chops" said Alex.

Two pork chops, potatoes and vegetables appeared on his plate.

"Chicken" said Susan.

Chicken and vegetables appeared on her plate.

They filled their glasses up with Butterbeer as George looked around before pulling a small flask out of his outer dress robe.

"Is that?" said Alex as George poured some in his glass before Fred took it off of him and did the same.

"Firewhiskey, keep an eye out for the teachers" said Fred.

"Give us some then" said Lee.

Fred handed the flask to him so Lee could use it.

"Anyone else want some?" said Lee.

"I'll pass thanks" said Joe as the others nodded.

He handed it back to George who put it back in his pocket.

"Just don't drink too much guys, we all remember third year" said Alicia.

"We won't" said George with a hint of a smirk on his face.

Fred, George and Lee raised their glasses.

"Cheers" said Fred before the three downed their Firewhiskey laced Butterbeer.

After they refilled their glasses Harry and the others raised their glasses.

"To life, and to those closest to us" said Harry.

The others repeated his words before they all took a drink.

They resumed eating their food and making small talk.

Dumbledore stood up half an hour later and pulled out his wand.

"Stand up please, the feast is over, it is time for the opening dance" said Dumbledore.

Harry and the others stood up along with the rest of the students.

He waved his wand moving the tables and chairs over to the side of the hall creating a large dance floor.

"Champions" said Dumbledore motioning his hand at the head table.

The Champions and their dates stood up making their way down to the dance floor.

Astoria smiled as Daphne allowed Krum to lead her onto the dance floor smiling at the Bulgarian the entire time.

Dumbledore moved to the side as the Champions and their partners stood on the dance floor ready to open the ball with the first dance.

Flitwick pulled his wand out ready to start conducting the music from the band on the stage behind the Champions table.

The band started to play a slow ballroom dance song as the Champions started dancing.

After a minute Professor Dumbledore led Professor Mcgonagall out onto the dance floor causing most of the students to follow them onto the floor.

Alex turned to Susan and held out his arm.

"May I have your arm?" said Alex.

Susan smiled and took his arm letting him lead her out to the dance floor.

Fred, George and Lee led their dates onto the dance floor after them.

Harry turned to Astoria who looked at him and smiled.

"May I have your arm?" said Harry holding his arm out to her.

Astoria took it and let him lead her onto the dance floor with Joe, Katie, Blaise and Tracey following behind them.

He placed his right hand on her waist as he took her right hand in his left.

She looked up at him and smiled nervously as he began to gracefully lead her round the dance floor.

"Wow, where did you learn to dance like this?" said Astoria softly after a few minutes.

"I had a few lessons" said Harry as he lifted her up by her hips before placing her back on her feet and turning in a complete 360 before swapping hands.

Alex and Susan were dancing not so far away from Harry and Astoria and had their eyes locked on each other.

"God I love you Sue" said Alex as the two got closer together.

"I love you too Alex, never change Hon" said Susan.

"Never" said Alex pecking her on the lips.

"Lets just enjoy the moment" said Susan softly.

The two kept dancing for the next two songs before Alex went to get drinks for them.

When he arrived back Susan perked up as the next song came on.

"I love this one, come on" said Susan taking his arm and dragging him out to the dance floor.

As they were nearing the end of the song they passed by the table where Ron and Parvati were sat down with Neville and Ginny.

Parvati had a pissed off look on her face while Ron was glaring hatefully at the dance floor.

Susan followed his gaze and frowned.

Hermione Granger was dancing with one of the Durmstrang boys and looked to be having a great time.

"Poor Parvati" said Susan.

"Huh" said Alex.

Susan nodded her head to where Parvati was sat at the table.

Alex turned to look at Parvati and frowned.

"Why is she here with Weasley?" said Alex as the song came to a close.

Susan smiled sadly.

"I don't know, but follow my lead" said Susan.

Alex smiled as she led him over to Parvati and Ron.

Parvati looked up at them in confusion as Ron continued to glare daggers into Hermione and her date.

"May we have your arm?" said Susan.

Alex held out his hand to her.

Parvati quickly looked around in relief.

"Arm, leg, I'm all yours" said Parvati sounding relieved.

She took Alex's hand and quickly stood up.

Alex smirked when he saw Ron get even more moody out of the corner of his eye.

Once they were out on the dance floor the next song started to play.

Susan detached herself from Alex.

"He's all yours for this one Parvati, have fun" said Susan chuckling.

Alex smiled and looked Parvati in the eye as Susan started walking back to their table.

He took her hand and waist and started quickly leading her around the dance floor in tune with the faster music.

Parvati smiled as she enjoyed herself for the first time this evening.

"Can I ask you a question Parvati?" said Alex.

Parvati nodded.

"Why did you come here with Ron, I mean he's not really the sort of person who enjoys things like this?" said Alex.

"Neville asked me if I would go with Ron since he couldn't get a date, a small part of me thought that he might actually make an effort tonight, but I was wrong, he's done nothing but glare at Hermione and her date since we got here, he was even eating with his hands like he does at meals, he wouldn't use his knife and fork no matter how many times Hermione, Seamus or Dean told him to, and then ever since the dancing started he's done nothing but glare at Hermione" said Parvati frowning.

"Surely you must have had other people ask you to the ball" said Alex.

Parvati frowned.

"No one else asked me… please don't laugh but I was hoping your Cousin Harry might have asked me, he's a real hunk, and the perfect guy, but when I saw him tonight I could tell he has his sights set on someone else, and she's here with him, everyone in Gryffindor knows Astoria fancies him, and it looks like she's finally got him" said Parvati with pink cheeks and a smile on her face.

Alex spun her around.

"I'm very surprised, a pretty girl like you should have guys falling over themselves to be your date, your one of the prettiest girls in our year, if I wasn't with Susan I'd have asked you to be my date for tonight" said Alex causing her to turn red again.

"You think I'm pretty" said Parvati.

Alex smiled at her.

"Your a beautiful young lady Parvati, and anyone who can't see that is blind" said Alex.

Parvati smiled at him before leaning up and kissing his cheek.

"Wow, Susan is very lucky girl to have you as a boyfriend, your a total sweetheart" said Parvati.

Alex smiled.

"Thank you" said Alex as he continued to lead her round the dance floor.

Once the song ended she separated from him.

"Thank you for that Alex, that was wonderful" said Parvati.

"Your welcome" said Alex.

Parvati walked over to where Padma was dancing with Anthony.

As he sat down next to Susan, Harry and Astoria at his table Ron stormed over and stood in front of him.

"You think you can steal my date and just walk away" said Ron angrily.

Alex sighed.

"Your date… you mean the date that Neville got for you, the one you've spent the entire evening ignoring, its bad enough you couldn't even get a date on your own, but to completely ignore one who agrees to go with you when Neville asked her to, that's harsh Ron, she deserved better than that" said Alex hatefully.

"Of course he couldn't get a date Alex, he screamed at Fleur to go to the ball with him instead of asking her properly, then again she would've still said no even if he had asked her properly" said Astoria laughing slightly.

Harry chuckled before placing an arm around her shoulder pulling her into him.

"And a word of advice Weasley, you take a girl to a ball to dance with her, not to sit on your arse the entire time glaring at your supposed best friend because she got a date and you didn't" said Susan hatefully.

"What do you know about it?" said Ron angrily.

"More than you think, Parvati told me you were glaring at Hermione and her date all night, and with the way you completely blanked Parvati, I'd be surprised if she accepts a Knut from you ever again, let alone a date, or if any other girl in Gryffindor would for that matter, you might not realise it Ron, but you hurt her tonight, and you owe her an apology big time" said Alex.

"Shut up, I can get any date I want, you'll see" said Ron turning around to look for girls without a dance partner.

Alex sighed as Ron ignored his last words.

Ron saw a black haired Beauxbatons girl stood on her own and marched over to her. Whatever he said to her caused her to slap him with an angry look on her face. He grabbed her arm before she shook him off and slapped him again.

Harry growled.

He spotted George's outer robe hanging on the chair and came up with a wicked idea.

He reached over and pulled the flask of Firewhiskey out of the pocket quickly placing it in his own pocket.

Astoria looked at him.

"What are you planning?" said Astoria.

"You'll see, come on lets dance" said Harry taking her hand.

Astoria smiled as he led her back onto the dance floor.

They danced over to where Ron's glass of Butterbeer was on the table and discreetly poured some of the Firewhiskey into it before moving back towards Ron.

They danced very close to Ron who was desperately trying to get a dance with no luck.

Harry quickly slipped the flask into Ron's pocket before steering Astoria away.

"This is what a girl wants from you when you take her to a ball Weasley, you should pay attention to Harry so you can see how its done, you might learn something" said Astoria laughing slightly causing Ron to scowl.

Harry chuckled.

"After this song, we'll let Snape know what's in his pocket" said Harry.

"And watch the fireworks" said Astoria.

Harry smiled and locked eyes with her.

"Exactly, and by the way who taught you how to dance?" said Harry.

"My Mother, she taught me and Daphne" said Astoria.

"Then I owe her my thanks, since you are such a graceful dancer" said Harry.

Astoria smiled.

"Who taught you how to dance then?" said Astoria.

"Aunt Andi and a rather reluctant Dora" said Harry.

"Well I must thank them then, because you are a great dancer Harry, this might be one of the best night's of my life" said Astoria with slightly red cheeks.

Harry smiled.

"Thanks Tori" said Harry.

The music slowed down as the song ended.

Astoria turned and spotted Snape.

"There he is, at the staff table" said Astoria.

Harry followed her gaze and nodded.

"Allow me" said Astoria with a wicked smile as the two walked towards Snape who was sat in his chair with his arms folded and legs crossed.

Snape turned to look at them with a bored look on his face.

"Go away" said Snape in a bored tone.

"We can't Professor, its important, we've seen a student with a flask in his pocket, and when we stood next to him you could smell it, it smelled like very strong Firewhiskey" said Astoria.

Snape looked at them with a menacing stare.

"Who?" said Snape in deathly tone.

"Ron Weasley sir, we also saw him grab at a girl a few minutes ago because she refused to dance with him, we thought it best to report it to you sir" said Astoria.

Snape stood up and swept past them striding over to where Ron had just been slapped by another girl who refused him a dance.

Harry smiled at Astoria.

"Well done Tori, that was absolutely brilliant, your a star" said Harry.

Astoria smiled.

"Your welcome" said Astoria.

"Would you like another dance?" said Harry.

Astoria smiled and nodded.

Snape stopped next to Ron who was sulking.

"Mr Weasley" said Snape in a deathly voice.

Ron paled and turned to look at Snape.

"What?" squeaked Ron.

"Empty your pockets" said Snape in a deathly tone.

"Why?" said Ron.

"Empty your pockets" said Snape.

Ron grumbled and reached into his pockets.

He froze when he felt the flask in his pocket.

"Give it to me" said Snape.

Ron decided to listen to Snape for once and took the flask out of his pocket.

His eyes widened in surprise when he saw it.

"That isn't mine" said Ron as Snape snatched the flask from him.

He opened it and sniffed it.

"Firewhiskey, oh dear, you thought you would be clever enough to bring this to the ball, 50 points from Gryffindor" said Snape loud enough to catch the attention of everyone in the Great Hall including Professor Mcgonagall who started to walk towards them.

The music suddenly stopped as everyone turned to look at Snape and Ron.

"I've never seen that before I swear" said Ron.

"Yet it was in your pocket, if you wish to continue lying to me you should really think a lie through first, that's if your thick skull is able to think in the first place" said Snape.

"What is going on here Severus?" said Mcgonagall.

Snape turned to her and handed the flask to her.

"I confiscated this from Mr Weasley Minerva, Firewhiskey of all things" drawled Snape.

Mcgonagall opened the flask and took a sniff.

"Mr Weasley, explain yourself right now" said Mcgonagall angrily.

"Its not mine Professor" said Ron.

"Yet Professor Snape found it in your pocket, where is your drink Mr Weasley?" said Mcgonagall.

The rest of the students were muttering amongst themselves while some were laughing at Ron.

Ron shakily pointed to his drink on the table.

"That one" said Ron.

Snape strode over to it and picked it up before sniffing it.

"You are a terrible liar Mr Weasley, it seems you have been adding the Firewhiskey to your Butterbeer, detention with me for a month" said Snape.

"But its not mine" shouted Ron causing laughs to erupt from around the Great Hall.

At that moment the French girl who slapped Ron walked up to Mcgonagall.

"Madame, there's something I need to tell you about him" said the girl in a French accent pointing at Ron with hateful glare on her face.

"Yes, go on dear" said Mcgonagall.

"He grabbed my arm when I refused to dance with him making my arm hurt quite a bit, I have also seen him harassing other girls tonight" said the girl showing Mcgonagall a handprint on her forearm where Ron had grabbed her.

Mcgonagall looked angry and turned to Ron who spluttered.

"Well Mr Weasley, you seem to have had an interesting evening, you will serve your detentions with Professor Snape, and that will be two months not one, I will also be writing to your parents to inform them of your shameful actions, as of right now, I think your night is over, please return to Gryffindor Tower" said Mcgonagall.

Laughter and comments could be heard around the Great Hall.

"But you can't, that's not fair" cried Ron indignantly.

"I can, now return to Gryffindor Tower, or do I have to escort you there myself as if you were a child" said Mcgonagall.

Ron spluttered.

"Its so unfair" groaned Ron.

"Well then, it seems I have to escort you there myself" said Mcgonagall striding over to him and grabbing hold of his arm.

She dragged him out of the Great Hall as the laughter and muttering returned.

Professor Dumbledore stood in front of the head table.

"Now that the matter is finished, lets all get back on with this glorious night, music please" said Dumbledore.

The band started to play another song.

After the song had finished Harry and Astoria returned to the table.

George was looking at him with a questioning look.

"He was being a right prat George, we didn't decide to do it until he grabbed that French girl, and I'll buy you some more Firewhiskey" said Harry.

"Yeah we saw, but congratulations Harry, Astoria" said George.

"For a truly brilliant prank" said Fred.

Harry and Astoria laughed.

"Our pleasure" said Harry mock bowing to him.

"Glad you liked it" said Astoria.

"I can't wait to see the Howler Mum sends him, its gonna be absolutely hilarious" said George.

"I hope so, I could do with a good laugh" said Astoria.

Harry looked around the table.

"Hey where's Joe and Katie?" said Harry.

Angelina nodded her head in the direction behind Harry.

"See for yourself" said Angelina smirking.

Harry turned around and cracked a wide smile.

Joe and Katie were wrapped in each others arms sharing a kiss in the middle of the dance floor with their eyes closed.

"About damn time" said Harry.

"Three so far" said Lee.

"Three what?" said Astoria.

"Three times we've seen them making out tonight, ever since the second song" said Fred.

"Next thing, she'll be sneaking him out for a bit of midnight snogging when she's on patrol" said George.

Harry and the others laughed slightly.

At that point Daphne, Krum, Tracey and Blaise made their way over to them.

"Hey guys" said Daphne.

"Hey Sis, you look like your having a great night" said Astoria.

"I am, I hope your having as good a night as I am" said Daphne with a smile on her face.

Harry leaned into Astoria.

"I think she might be in love Tori" whispered Harry.

Astoria smiled and saw that Daphne was holding Krum's hand.

"I can't believe that weird fan boy was stupid enough to get caught with Firewhiskey" said Krum.

The others burst out laughing.

"Well, he's never been the smartest person" said Susan.

"Rather the reverse" said Alex.

"Would you like some drinks?" said Krum as Joe and Katie made their way back to the table.

"That would be great, come and join us, that'll be what, 16 Butterbeers" said Alex.

"We'll help you" said Fred and George at the same time.

"Me too" said Lee.

The three got up and went with Krum to get the drinks from the refreshments table near the doors.

Daphne sat down next to Astoria and turned to her and Harry.

"So Tori, what's yours and Harry's night been like?" said Daphne.

Astoria smiled.

"Wonderful, he's been a perfect gentleman, and an excellent dancer, you should find out for yourself" said Astoria.

Daphne smiled.

"Perhaps I will, how about right now?" said Daphne.

Harry looked at Astoria who nodded before standing up and holding his arm out to Daphne.

He led her out onto the dance floor which was now half empty as a lot of the students had gone to get refreshments.

"She told you yet?" said Daphne.

"Not yet, I think she's been a bit too nervous to do it" said Harry.

"And what about you, if she confessed her feelings to you, what would you say?" said Daphne testily.

Harry sighed.

"I don't know, I like her, but at the moment, I'm not sure if I'm ready for that next step" said Harry.

Daphne nodded.

"I was actually thinking of offering her an alternative for now" said Harry.

"What alternative?" said Daphne testily.

"A courtship of sorts, you know spend a bit more time together as friends that might develop into something more" said Harry.

"You think that's the best choice?" said Daphne.

"Most likely yeah, what about you, anything between you and Viktor?" said Harry.

Daphne smiled.

"I don't know, its been a great night so far, who knows where this will take both of us" said Daphne.

"He's a very lucky guy" said Harry.

Daphne leaned back and looked at him curiously.

"Whys that?" said Daphne.

"Because he got to see the real Daphne Greengrass, Tori was telling us that tonight's the happiest she's seen you in quite a few years, all of us can tell how happy he's made you tonight" said Harry.

Daphne smiled and nodded.

"True, this is the happiest I've been for a while, it just feels nice not to have to wear that Ice Queen mask, that I can actually be myself tonight" said Daphne.

The two kept on dancing until returning to the table at the end of the song.

She got her Butterbeer from Krum before sitting down next to him while Harry sat down next to Astoria.

Astoria turned to Harry.

"Harry, is it alright if we go for a walk?" said Astoria with a hint of nervousness in her voice.

Harry nodded.

"Come on" said Harry standing up and offering her his hand.

She took his hand as he pulled her to her feet.

She looped arms with him and he led her out of the Great Hall.

As Harry and Astoria walked through the doors Alex turned to Daphne.

"You think she's finally gonna tell him" said Alex.

Daphne smiled.

"Yeah" said Daphne.

"About damn time" said Katie drinking her Butterbeer.

Suddenly a slower song started to play.

Susan looked at Alex who nodded.

They stood up and made their way out to the dance floor.

They held each other close for the entire song. As the song drew to a close Alex reached into his robe pocket and pulled out something encased in his fist.

"What is that?" said Susan.

Alex smiled.

"Give me your left hand" said Alex.

Susan held her left hand out to him.

He opened his fist revealing a shiny silver betrothal ring to her causing Susan to gasp in delight.

"A betrothal ring, a reminder of our love and that we will one day be husband and wife, will you wear it?" said Alex.

Susan smiled and kissed him deeply.

"Of course I will" said Susan.

Alex smiled and placed the ring on her left ring finger.

"I love you, now and always" said Alex kissing her once more.

Susan returned the kiss before he held her close with her head on his chest for the rest of the dance.

Once they returned to the table Daphne and Tracey spotted the ring and smiled widely.

"Is that a betrothal ring?" said Tracey causing the others to turn and look at Alex and Susan.

Susan held it up for everyone to see.

"Yes it is" said Susan smiling as she squeezed Alex's hand.

"Its beautiful" said Daphne.

"Thanks Daph" said Susan.

Suddenly another person made their way over to the table.

"Do you mind if I join you?" said Fleur.

"Not at all Fleur, sit down" said Susan gesturing to Harry's empty seat.

Fleur sat down and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Where's Davies Fleur?" said Daphne.

Fleur groaned.

"Over there at the head table, too busy drooling to notice I had walked off, the pig" said Fleur haughtily.

Roger Davies was sat down looking out at the ball taking place in front of him with drool dripping down from his mouth onto the table.

"So he drools at you all the way through dinner, probably through the dance as well and is still drooling right now, he must have really low self control, Longbottom wasn't much different though was he" said Daphne.

"Oui, and his red haired date was glaring at me the whole time as if it was my fault that he was staring at me, talk about low self control, but at least he stopped staring at me when we all went up to dance, where's Arry by the way, I was rather hoping I'd get that dance he promised me" said Fleur after she noticed Harry and Astoria's absence.

"Taking a walk with Astoria" said Alex.

Fleur managed a small smile.

"I saw those two a few times tonight, what a lovely couple" said Fleur.

"They're not together Fleur, not yet anyway" said Susan.

Fleur looked at her in surprise.

"Really, from what I saw I thought they were, they just seemed so right for each other" said Fleur.

"Well, the way things are going for them, we all reckon they'll be together by the summer" said Katie.

Fleur smiled.

"I hope so, because they look perfect for each other" said Fleur.

 _Meanwhile…_

Harry and Astoria made their way out of the main doors and into the courtyard arm in arm.

"Wow, this is amazing" said Astoria looking around in amazement.

Dozens of fairy lights hung above the courtyard as light snow continued to cover the courtyard. There were a couple of black carriages waiting to take the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students back to their ship and carriage.

"It is" said Harry as the two walked through the courtyard and spotted an empty stone bench facing the entrance.

"Shall we sit down for a bit?" said Harry.

Astoria nodded.

They sat down on the bench.

The two remained silent for a few moments before Harry placed his hand on hers getting her attention.

"Tori, I know how you feel about me" said Harry.

Astoria looked slightly nervous.

"Dorcas told you then" said Astoria blushing.

"Yeah, but I always knew you had a little crush on me, you weren't as subtle about it as you might think" said Harry.

Astoria went slightly red.

"I've liked you since I was 8, it was just a crush at first but over the last two years its gotten a lot stronger, especially after you saved my life in the summer, your the only boy I've ever liked" said Astoria.

"Really?" said Harry in slight shock.

"Yes, no one else ever caught my eye, I was really glad when I got sorted into Gryffindor as well since it meant I could be near you, and then when you asked me to the ball I was so excited" said Astoria.

Harry sighed.

"Tori I-" said Harry.

"Because I think I love you Harry, I have done for a while now" said Astoria turning to look him in the eye.

Harry stared into her eyes.

She really loved him.

"Tori, I think I like you that way, I just don't think I'm ready for this yet, I'm really sorry" said Harry in a regretful voice.

Astoria nodded before turning away from him with a disappointed look on her face.

Harry wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"I can't pretend that I'm not hurt by that, but at least your being honest about it, even if it is hard to hear" said Astoria sadly as one or two tears appeared in her eyes.

"Tori, I'm not saying no to you, I know how you feel but I don't think I'm ready for all of this… but I want to be able to find out if I'm ready for the next step, I know its not what you wanted to hear but I don't want to lie to you, why don't we spend some more time together, just the two of us and we'll see where it takes us, a courtship of sorts" said Harry.

Astoria quickly turned to him.

"You mean?" said Astoria.

Harry smiled and softly wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Yes… Astoria Isobel Greengrass, will you allow me to court you in the hopes that this could turn into something special for the both of us, and please do not cry Tori, a beautiful girl like you should not be crying on a night like this" said Harry.

Astoria managed a small smile as she locked eyes with him.

"You really think I'm beautiful" said Astoria.

"I've always thought you were beautiful Tori, especially tonight, and it made me even happier to see you wearing the earrings I bought for you, I know you have better ones" said Harry.

Astoria smiled at him.

"Harry, I love them, true they may not be as exquisite or fancy as some of the others I could've worn, but that doesn't matter, you got me these, I was always going to wear them tonight, its like they say, its the thought that counts" said Astoria.

Harry smiled and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear causing her to smile.

"So what do you say, will you allow me to court you?" said Harry.

Astoria nodded.

"I know its not what you wanted, if this does lead to where it's meant to lead, then I want it to be special for both of us" said Harry.

Astoria blushed.

"Your right, a courtship may not be what I wanted, but when I think about it I guess I can accept it, you and me together would only work if we both shared the same feelings, besides, I know you and I only ended up coming here together because Dorcas asked you too, that and it would be interesting to see how much you can charm me" said Astoria.

Harry smiled.

"Well that parts not entirely true Tori, when Dorcas asked me I told her I would think about it, taking you to the ball was my choice, to tell you the truth you were the only person I thought about asking, and for the record I think you'll find that I'm quite charming, you found that out tonight, more than once I might add" said Harry.

Astoria blushed.

"I'm the only person you ever thought of asking, little old me, when you could have had your pick of the girls, even some of those Beauxbatons students have been eyeing you up like a piece of meat for weeks, even Fleur wanted to come with you tonight, she would have probably dragged you under some mistletoe if she could find some, or even a broom cupboard" said Astoria.

Harry squeezed her hand.

"Only you, those other girls just wanted me to ask them because I'm a good looking bloke, top student, old family name, the list goes on, they didn't care about what person I am, maybe Fleur does, but you don't care about any of that, you wanted to go with me because you like me for who I am as a person, you like the real Harry Potter, not the Heir to the Potter Family Harry Potter, you wanted the real me, I know I made the right choice when I asked you, I'm having a great night with you, and its not over yet" said Harry.

Astoria suddenly leaned forwards and kissed him on the cheek close to the corner of his lips.

"This is the most fun I've had in years, thank you Harry, your a great person, both inside and out, I was hoping that you'd be my boyfriend before midnight tonight, that you'd give me my first kiss with the man I love, but what we have now is good enough I suppose… for now at least" said Astoria smiling.

"Your welcome, come on, lets go back inside, for the night is still young and a very beautiful young lady deserves another dance" said Harry standing up and offering her his hand.

Astoria turned red.

"Well I think that confirms how much of a charmer you are Harry" said Astoria letting him pull her to her feet.

Harry smirked.

"I thought we already established that, come on" said Harry offering her his arm which she took.

They returned to the Great Hall and enjoyed the rest of the evening before returning to Gryffindor Tower at nearly one in the morning.

Astoria didn't mind one bit when Harry kept his promise to Fleur and danced with her for one song before she returned to her carriage.

The two stopped outside the Fat Lady portrait before Astoria turned to Harry.

"Thank you Harry I had a wonderful evening, you were the perfect date" said Astoria wrapping him in a hug.

Harry smiled.

"Thanks Tori, but there are a few more things before we go inside" said Harry.

"What are they?" said Astoria smiling.

"Firstly, will you accompany me to Hogsmeade on Valentines Day?" said Harry.

"I'd love too" said Astoria smiling as she released him from her hug.

Harry chuckled.

"Great, now for the other thing, I want the both of us to have some time alone whenever we can" said Harry.

"Of course" said Astoria.

Harry smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"You said I was the perfect date, I'm glad you enjoyed your night with me, because I definitely enjoyed spending the evening in your company" said Harry.

Astoria smiled and kissed his cheek.

The two walked back into Gryffindor Tower.

As they entered they saw Joe, Katie, the Twins, Lee, Angelina, Alicia and Leanne sat on settee's near the fire still dressed in their clothes from the ball. They saw that someone had conjured some extra settee's so they could all sit down.

They also saw Ron sat at one of the tables with a scowl on his face drinking Butterbeer obviously waiting for someone.

Joe who was sat with his arm around Katie turned to face them as they walked over.

"You guys gonna join us?" said Joe.

Harry looked at Astoria.

"I am, you gonna join us as well Tori?" said Harry.

"Of course" said Astoria as she led him over to sit next to Lee and Leanne.

Astoria chuckled as she looked at the table in the middle of all the settee's to see a crate of Butterbeer as well as a few bottles of Firewhiskey and dozens of shot glasses.

"I'm not even gonna ask where you two keep getting the Firewhiskey from" said Astoria looking at Fred and George who were sat on a settee with Angelina and Alicia respectively.

"Good, because its a secret" said Fred winking at her.

"Help yourself" said George.

Astoria smirked and looked at Harry.

Harry smirked.

"Which one do you want?" said Harry.

"Both" said Astoria grinning wildly.

Harry looked slightly surprised and chuckled.

He poured two shots of Firewhiskey and grabbed two bottles of Butterbeer placing them on the table.

He handed a shot of Firewhiskey to her as she leaned into his chest.

"Bottoms up" said Astoria.

She and Harry necked their shots before placing the glasses back on the table.

Harry grabbed their Butterbeer's and opened them before handing one to Astoria who thanked him.

"So" said Katie slowly.

"So… what?" said Harry.

"You two finally get together then, the way you were acting with each other at the ball we thought you two were actually a couple, you looked so cute together" said Angelina.

Harry and Astoria shared a smile with each other before looking at them.

"Sort of" said Astoria.

Some of the others looked puzzled until Harry and Astoria explained their situation to them.

As they were finishing their story they heard a familiar voice shout out in anger.

"Where have you been?" said Ron sounding annoyed.

They turned to look at him where they saw him stand up looking at Hermione who had just arrived back at Gryffindor Tower on her own.

"At the ball, with my date" snarled Hermione.

Ron scoffed.

"Your date, you mean that creepy Bulgarian bloke, what makes him so special?" said Ron angrily.

Hermione looked at him in shock.

"Ivan is not creepy, he happens to be a very nice person, a nice person knows how to show a girl a good time, unlike someone else I know" said Hermione in anger.

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Ron.

Hermione looked at him like he was stupid.

"I'm talking about you you insufferable prat, I bumped into Parvati shortly after you got kicked out, she told me all about how you blanked her all night" said Hermione angrily.

"So, I didn't want to go with her anyway, then she just went off with Black" said Ron.

Hermione looked shocked as Harry and the others exchanged shocked looks with each other.

"So why did you agree to take her to the ball when Neville asked her for you knowing full well you were just going to treat her like a brick wall all night, in fact don't answer that, next time actually ask someone to be your date" said Hermione.

Ron snarled.

"I already did, I asked you remember" said Ron.

Harry and the others could see that traces of tears had started to form in Hermione's eyes.

"Asked me, you told me to be your date 3 days before the ball as a last resort, and when I told you I already had a date, you refused to believe me because I wouldn't tell you who it was" said Hermione.

"You could've still gone with me, you could've told this bloke you'd changed your mind, it would have been easy" said Ron.

Hermione looked shocked.

"You would've expected me to go up to my date and tell him, sorry I can't attend the ball with you now, my best friend has just demanded I go with him as a last resort" said Hermione as tears started to fall.

"Should we step in" whispered Alicia to Angelina.

Angelina shook her head.

"No, its their business, it wouldn't be right to interfere, we'll invite her to sit with us after" said Angelina.

"That would've worked out for the both of us, instead you decided to abandon your best friend and spend the entire ball with a complete stranger" said Ron turning around and walking towards the stairs.

"Well you know the solution then don't you?" said Hermione rounding on him.

"Go on then" said Ron angrily.

"Next time there's a ball, pluck up the courage and ask me properly before somebody else does, and not as a last resort" said Hermione.

Ron just started walking up the stairs.

"Yeah well next time I won't bother, maybe you should go and find that Ivan bloke before he finds another girl, if he hasn't found someone else already" said Ron viciously before stomping up the stairs.

"Ron you've ruined everything" screamed Hermione.

They heard a door slam upstairs causing some of them to wince slightly.

Angelina and Alicia jumped up and moved towards Hermione as she let her tears fall and collapsed to her knees.

"Ignore him Hermione, he's not worth it" said Angelina dropping to her knees beside Hermione and wrapping her arms around her shoulders.

"Come on Hermione, come and sit with us" said Alicia.

Hermione wiped away her tears and nodded.

The two girls helped her to her feet and led her over to sit with them on the settee. Fred and George moved up to sit on the armrests while Hermione sat in between Angelina and Alicia.

"Don't let Weasley ruin your night Hermione, have a drink with us" said Astoria sincerely.

Hermione nodded.

"Okay" said Hermione sadly.

George handed her a Butterbeer while Fred poured her a shot of Firewhiskey and held it out to her.

"Get that down you love, it'll make you feel better" said Fred.

Hermione looked at him in shock.

"What if Professor Mcgonagall comes back?" said Hermione.

"She won't, she put the prefects in charge of Gryffindor Tower tonight" said Harry.

Hermione looked at him.

"You sure?" said Hermione.

"Positive" said Harry.

Hermione managed a weak smile before downing the shot of Firewhiskey and coughing slightly.

George handed the Butterbeer to her so she could wash the Firewhiskey down.

"What was all that about Hermione?" said Katie.

"Just Ron being jealous, and he wasn't exactly subtle about it tonight either, he kept making snide comments at me and my date all through dinner" said Hermione wiping the tears from her eyes.

"No, I mean what did you mean by as a last resort?" said Katie.

Hermione looked at her.

"A few days ago, after Fleur turned him down, he was in a bit of a bad mood about not having a date, so me and Neville kept telling him just to ask someone, even a younger year if he had too, we ended up mentioning Eloise Midgeon, that Hufflepuff in Ginny's year, but he said he didn't want to, said she her nose is off centre" said Hermione.

"What a pig, Eloise is a lovely girl, she might be a bit shy sometimes but she's so friendly" said Astoria angrily.

"He started going on about how he and Neville would be the only guys in their year without dates, then Neville told him that he was taking Ginny, and it just made him even angrier, he starts ranting about how his little sister can get a date and he couldn't before completely out of the blue he turns to me and tells me to go with him, in a rather blunt way as well" said Hermione.

"So he wasn't subtle about it then" said Joe.

"Far from it, his exact words were, Hermione, your a girl, you can be my date" said Hermione.

"Wow" said Harry in slight shock.

Hermione nodded.

"But I already had a date, so I told him I couldn't go with him, next thing you know he got mad, started demanding I tell him who I was going with, Neville kept trying to calm him down but it didn't work, then when I wouldn't tell him who my date was he just stormed off" said Hermione.

"Hermione, out of curiosity why didn't you tell him who your date was?" said Fred.

"I didn't want him to make trouble for Ivan, I knew he would if I told him, the poor bloke was quite nervous when he asked me, but he was so sweet about it so I said yes, I didn't want Ron to start threatening him about being my date, which I know he would've done, then tonight he acts like a total prat, me and the others felt so sorry for Parvati, Neville even apologised to her for Ron being a complete prat, in the end I was relieved when Mcgonagall kicked him out of the ball" said Hermione.

Fred and George had heard enough at this point.

"Excuse us" said Fred and George simultaneously.

The two stood up and headed for the stairs.

Hermione looked at the Twins before turning back to the others.

"Don't worry about them, they'll deal with Ron, have another drink, why did you come back on your own anyway, I thought Neville and Ginny would have been with you" said Harry.

"They went for a walk shortly before the ball ended, haven't they come back yet?" said Hermione.

At that moment the Twins reappeared at the bottom of the stairs with Ron, they dragged him through the common room entrance into the hallway.

As they were leaving Neville and Ginny walked in holding hands and looking at the group in confusion.

"What was all that about?" said Ginny.

"Just your brother being an arsehole again, nothing new, come and join us" said Hermione bitterly.

Angelina stood up and conjured a small leather love seat for them.

Neville and Ginny sat down and turned to Hermione.

"What happened?" said Neville as Ginny leaned into his chest and took his hand.

Hermione told them the full story about what had happened in the common room. As she was finishing her story Ron stormed back into the common room followed slowly by the Twins.

Neville stood up and walked over to him.

"What the hell was all that about Ron?" said Neville angrily.

"All what?" said Ron.

"What you said to Hermione, I thought she was your friend" said Neville.

"She is my friend" said Ron angrily.

"My friend definitely, yours, probably not after what you did, why on earth would you say things like that to her, and how could you treat Parvati like that, especially after I vouched for you when I asked her if she would go with you?" said Neville.

Ron just grumbled and pushed his way past Neville.

"Just leave me alone" grumbled Ron.

He stomped back upstairs.

Neville sighed.

"Leave him be Neville, he needs to cool down first, come and have another drink, we've got loads of this stuff left" said Fred.

"Don't worry about it, he'll be regretting it in the morning when Mcgonagall increases the number of detentions he has" said Katie.

"Probably by another month" said Harry.

Neville walked back over to them and sat down.

They stopped up until three in the morning when they decided to call it a night. Fred and George hid the Firewhiskey before they all went upstairs.

Astoria gave Harry a kiss on the cheek and thanked him for a wonderful night before going upstairs with Ginny.


End file.
